Congressional investigations can proceed at the pace of drying paint; slow and deliberate. That was certainly the case in the House Ethics Committee inquiry into whether Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) wrongly intervened with federal regulators to secure a loan for a bank in which her husband held significant shares. The congresswoman's chief of staff, Mikael Moore, who is also her grandson, was also implicated. The Committee brought charges against Waters in August 2010 and just today ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove there was an ethics violation. The congresswoman and her chief of staff were cleared. The investigation was rife with controversy as a public hearing two years ago was canceled when it was discovered that evidence in the case had been mishandled. Rep. Waters had long maintained that she did nothing improper and was advocating on behalf of all minority financial institutions and not just OneUnited, the bank in question. For the fiery congresswoman today's ruling by the Ethics Commitee is vindication and clears her way to become chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee should Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives after the November election.