How does Rangel plan to convince his colleagues that he's not worthy of censure? With a really great chart, obviously. 10 Reasons Why Rangel NO Censure

It is titled "10 Reasons Why Rep. Charles B. Rangel Should NOT Receive Censure," but it is not a hilarious Letterman-style Top Ten List. It is actually a list of other representatives who were censured for doing things that were "worse" than what Charlie Rangel did, and a list of people who were only reprimanded for doing things that were "worse" than what Charlie Rangel did (like Newt Gingrich).

Will it work? No, probably not. But censure is still an extraordinarily goofy 19th-century relic, so it really won't be so bad, Charlie.

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He will argue that he's not one of them.

The 80-year-old Democrat from New York's Harlem neighborhood wants his punishment for ethics violations downgraded to a reprimand, according to congressional and nongovernment sources who are in touch with Rangel but are not authorized to be quoted by name.

Rangel will ask the House ethics committee chairman, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., for time to plead his case on the floor of the House, where he has served for 40 years, including a stint as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

The ethics committee voted 9-1 on Nov. 18 that Rangel should be censured for committing 11 counts of fundraising and financial misdeeds that violated House rules.

There is precedent for Rangel's argument that censure -- the most severe punishment short of expulsion -- is too harsh in his case. It won't be easy because he'll have to overcome the overwhelming vote of a committee that has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans.

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Then I discovered that I'd actually been nominated for the other Moore Award -- the one that blogger Andrew Sullivan doles out for "divisive, bitter and intemperate left-wing rhetoric." How exciting!

Sullivan recognized me for a piece I wrote Thursday about Alabama Republican Rep. Jo Bonner's harsh attack on Charlie Rangel as the House ethics committee was concluding its proceedings on Thursday. Specifically, Sullivan claimed, I argued "that the grandstanding of the GOP's ranking member on the ethics committee was fueled by racism and not Rangel's eleven ethics violations."

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The House will likely consider a censure motion after Thanksgiving. If it passes, Rangel would suffer the embarrassment of standing before his colleagues and receiving an oral rebuke by the speaker.

The five Democrats and five Republicans deliberated for several hours behind closed doors Thursday. The vote was 9-1. Earlier, at a sanctions hearing, Rangel apologized for his misconduct but said he was not a crooked politician out for personal gain.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

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An ethics subcommittee had already found Rangel guilty (unanimously) earlier in the week of violating New York City's building code, improperly using congressional letterhead, and failing to file his taxes correctly. The purpose of Thursday's full committee session was to determine Rangel's punishment. It was gaveled to order hours after Rangel, who had stormed out of the trial on Monday, released a statement throwing himself on the mercy of the committee -- and after Rangel used his clout to shut down rallies that his supporters had planned for him.

In other words, there wasn't much to accomplish on Thursday. Rangel's guilt had been established and he was seeking mercy. Plus, precedent clearly established that expulsion -- the most dramatic punishment available -- was not a viable option for the committee. Rangel would be receiving some sort of formal rebuke; the only thing left to do was to announce exactly what form that rebuke would take.

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The Harlem Democrat released a contrite statement Thursday, saying: "There can be no excuse for my acts of omission. I've failed in carrying out my responsibilities. I made numerous mistakes. But corruption and personal enrichment are certainly not part of my mistakes."

The panel will deliberate and likely recommend sanctions to the House.

Rangel was convicted by a jury of his congressional peers of 11 counts of violating House rules.

One possible form of punishment is a House vote to censure Rangel for his misconduct.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Convicted by his colleagues on 11 counts of ethical wrongdoing, Rep. Charles Rangel of New York is about to learn his likely punishment by the House as his lengthy ordeal nears a painful end.

The House ethics committee was to deliberate behind closed doors Thursday after a short public hearing, in which the 80-year-old Harlem Democrat can make his case for a light punishment.

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Topping the list of Rangel's transgressions was the misuse of his congressional clout to raise money for a vanity academic "center" named after him at the City University of New York from private donors. Yet somehow McConnell got away with the same kind of dubious dealings at the University of Louisville -- and was allowed to reward BAE Systems, donor of $500,000 to the McConnell Center, with $17 million worth of defense earmarks.

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Rangel's arrogance and self-pity have won him little support in the press, with cable news regularly treating him as the picture of congressional corruption and the schoolmarms at the New York Times editorial page regularly tut-tutting about how serious we must all pretend this is. The New York Post -- which has dedicated itself, thus far unsuccessfully, to hounding Rangel out of office -- has for years now featured various embarrassing stories of his fecklessness, accompanied by that hilarious photo of the congressman dozing off at his Dominican villa. But after years of this, the best the House ethics committee could do was to find that Rangel violated New York building code, failed to file his taxes correctly, and improperly used government letterhead.

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The full ethics committee will next conduct a hearing on the appropriate punishment for the former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. The committee will then make a recommendation to the House.

Possible punishments include a House vote deploring Rangel's conduct, a fine and denial of privileges.

The eight-member ethics panel had sat as a jury to judge Rangel's conduct. The 80-year-old congressman from Harlem was charged with 13 counts of financial and fundraising wrongdoing.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An eight-member House ethics panel has resumed closed-door deliberations in the ethics trial of Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, accused in 13 counts of engaging in financial and fundraising misconduct.

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Rangel pleaded for the trial to be delayed, saying he'd already incurred $2 million in legal fees and couldn't afford to hire attorneys. He said he had lawyers offering him free counsel, but he couldn't accept their services because that would count as a gift. He just received the 80-page complaint against him, and learned that he could open a legal defense fund, last week. Despite his request, Rep. G.K. Butterfield made a motion to continue with the trial. Once Ethics Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren explained that Rangel had the right "not to participate in this matter," he left.

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The former Ways and Means Committee chairman made an impassioned opening statement that said he had run out of money to pay his previous attorney after spending nearly $2 million. The silver-haired, 80-year-old congressman then left the proceedings and the eight panel members -- four Democrats and four Republicans -- went into a closed session to consider his request for a delay.

Rangel, a 20-term Democrat from New York's famed Harlem neighborhood, said he would not attend any further hearings without legal representation.

Rangel has been accused in 13 House counts of financial and fundraising misconduct that violated the chamber's rules.

The panel was sitting as a jury in a House committee room for a proceeding that was open to the public. It was only the second time this type of hearing was held under a revamped system of in-house ethics policing adopted by lawmakers two decades ago.

If the panel finds that Rangel broke the rules, the House ethics committee could recommend that the House vote to condemn Rangel's conduct.

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Rangel beat back five challengers including Adam Clayton Powell IV, a state assemblyman and son of the legendary Harlem figure Rangel defeated in 1970. Rangel is all but guaranteed re-election in November in this heavily Democratic district.

With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Rangel had 52 percent to 24 percent for Powell, his nearest competitor.

"I'm going back to Washington with such pride," Rangel told supporters at a gathering in Harlem as returns came in and it appeared he was on his way to winning. "This isn't a win for Charlie Rangel. This is our community's win."

It was the first time Rangel, 80, has faced voters since a House ethics panel charged him with 13 violations last summer. Rangel has vigorously fought the charges despite pleas from some Democrats, including President Barack Obama, that he consider stepping aside.

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New York's primaries are tomorrow, and despite invoking some of that 9/11 footage magic in a shockingly tasteless ad, Lazio may yet lose the chance to lose to Andrew Cuomo in November. (He is, depressingly, not the only one jumping on the 9/11 bandwagon.)

In a state paralyzed by a completely dysfunctional Democratic party-run legislature, Republicans across the state are primarily running on hating Islam -- though some also hate public employees and teachers. The Democrats are running mostly on hating the other Democrats -- especially the ones currently in Albany or Washington.

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This is the choice faced by Democratic voters in the 15th congressional district of New York on primary day Sept. 14.

Today the New York Times profiles Powell, who is the most prominent of several Democrats challenging Rangel and whose father, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., was unseated by Rangel in 1970.

Both of the rape accusations came in 2004. The first, by a 19-year-old Assembly intern, was later recanted. Powell admitted to having consensual sex with the woman. He told the Times the relationship was innapropriate explained that "inappropriateness is a lot of things":

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Speaking at a candidate's forum Monday night in New York City, Rangel said the president hasn't "been around long enough to determine what my dignity is."

The 80-year-old congressman said it was more likely he would protect Obama's dignity over the next two years.

A House ethics panel has accused the 20-term Democrat from Harlem of ethics violation charges. Rangel has vowed to fight the charges and is refusing to resign. He says he is focusing on his re-election.

Obama said three weeks ago that he was sure Rangel wanted to "be able to end his career with dignity" and said he hoped it would happen.

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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com

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But NY1, New York City's 24-hour news station, did the Times one better and got video of Dinkins' obscene gesture. We can't seem to embed the video here, but it's at the 1:18 mark of Josh Robin's report, which can be viewed here.

Also, Politico's Maggie Haberman Tweeted the following this morning:

Rangel on resignation calls: "I think Mayor Dinkins really expressed my view the best last night.....I can't find a better way to say it."

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Rangel's birthday party is always a well-attended party, but most years the longtime congressman is not facing multiple ethics charges. Rangel's campaign sent out a memo claiming that Senator Chuck Schumer and would-be Governor Andrew Cuomo will both be speaking at the gala at the Plaza Hotel. But neither Cuomo nor Schumer have confirmed their attendence.

It actually sounds like a pretty kick-ass party:

Rep. Joe Crowley is to introduce the “master of ceremonies” Gov. David Paterson, who briefly wavered about sticking to his agreement to participate, but apparently is back on board. Other speakers include: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Mayor Bloomberg, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Paterson is, according to this memo, to acknowledge the presence of former NYC Mayor David Dinkins and his father, ex-state Secretary of State Basil Paterson. And then Rangel speaks. Dionne Warwick will take the stage after the congressman, and then do a “Happy Birthday” duet with Chuck Jackson.

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"Fire your best shot and get rid of me through expulsion," the 80-year-old declared.

Rangel, who "temporarily" stepped down as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in March, has been charged by the ethics committee with 13 counts of wrongdoing; he spent about 20 minutes calling for the proceedings against him to be expedited.

"Hey, if I was you, I might want me to go away, too," he said to his colleagues, many of whom have called for his departure. "I am not going away. I am here."

Currently, an ethics trial is scheduled to start Sept. 13, a day before Rangel will face his district's Democratic primary voters. The trial could last weeks, or even months. He said he won't even entertain the idea of resigning until the proceedings conclude.

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