On Ethics, GOP Displays A Consistent Sense of Timing (washingtonpost.com):

"House Republicans this week again showed their knack for releasing dubious news about ethical matters at moments perfectly timed to draw minimal attention. A few hours before President Bush's State of the Union address Wednesday night -- an event that always dominates the news -- GOP leaders announced they were ousting the independent-minded chairman of the ethics committee, Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), and adding two committee members who had donated to Majority Leader Tom DeLay's legal defense fund"

They have this down to a science, don't they.