A bit too rushed this morning to offer much more than a Nelson Muntz laugh at this news:
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, a legendary Republican warrior in the political trenches, is dropping his re-election campaign and will leave Congress early under the shadow of the congressional lobbying scandal.
The shocking move creates a weird scramble for his seat in the burgeoning suburbs south of Houston. The state Republican Executive Committee or the party chairmen in the counties in the 22nd Congressional District will get to nominate a candidate for the November general election, officials said. But first may come a special election to select someone to fill the remainder of DeLay's term through the end of the year.
"This was a political and personal decision he has made," said Richard Cullen, DeLay's attorney in Washington, D.C., who spoke to the congressman on Monday. "He just felt it was the best thing for him, for his family, and for the Republican Party."
Some might think the best thing for the Republican Party would've been not taking money illegally, but whatever.
Cullen denied that DeLay's decision was based on the recent plea bargain by former top aide Tony Rudy, who pleaded guilty to a corruption charge Friday and agreed to cooperate with a federal investigation into lobbying practices in Congress.
"It has absolutely nothing to do with that," Cullen said. "He had made this decision some time ago, before anybody heard anything about the Rudy plea."
You came up with the contingency some time ago, you mean, that DeLay would cut and run if anybody close to him turned state's evidence. Go ahead and stick with that wording if it makes you feel better.
DeLay was collecting warm political eulogies from Republican leaders before his announcement was official.
"Simply put, Tom is one of the most effective and gifted leaders the Republican Party has ever known," said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who succeeded DeLay in the leadership job. "The country owes Tom a great debt of gratitude for helping lead America in a new direction."
I'm just waiting to see what he blames this on first: the "war on Christianity," gays getting married, or the liberal menace.
I'm betting he got an offer from a lobbying firm that he just could not refuse and wants to start as soon as possible, preferably before any serious lobbying reform goes through. Not that it will ever happen (serious lobbying reform) but you never know, the Republicans seem to be making tons of mistakes these days so it might slip past the goalie.
Oh, duh, silly me - you meant Michael Michael not Pete Michael. I was referring to the title. Too eager to show off that I finally knew the source of one of Pete's titles.
F-to-the-3, I gots your back.
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000006341/ref=sr_11_1/102-4703780-8697734?%5Fencoding=UTF8)
We won't rest until playa-hatin' crackers like Jason stop keepin' the Brothaman down, word is bond.
I'm betting he's shooting for the Abramoff job, now that Jack's in the pokey.
Book deals, speaking engagements; Tom will have plenty to do and plenty of cash to rake in between his own appearances in court.
On the radio today Tom said he was about 1.5 million in debt from legal fees. Actually, he said he had racked up about 2.5 in legal fees already, and he currently owed 1.5, which I assumed meant he had paid a million in fees already. And his case hasn't even gone to trial yet. I expect he'll need quite a few speaking engagements to cover those costs. But hey - isn't there some kind of Son of Sam law that should prevent Tom from profiting from his crimes? And wouldn't his speaking engagements be doing just that? Someone should look into that...
From some of the other news sources that I've read it looks like Delay is trying to blame this on "The War on Christianity", as his outgoing soundbites have been chock full o' christian rhetoric and admonitions that church going people understand that a country cannot be run with adherence to religious belief (I don't remember the exact quote, so I'm paraphrasing at the moment), implying of course that is exactly what he was trying to do and that he is merely another casualty in said war.
Personaly I was kinda hoping that he might go back to what he was doind in the first place before he went into politics, walkly around spraying poison on roaches in Sugarland. I mean, I see a great ad campaign for the "Texas Hammer Extermination Services" with a huge hammer coming down on a scuttling roach...
The prospect of losing is what drove DeLay to the bench, says he. U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay decided more than......
| --Posted to Off the Kuff on Apr 4, 2006 5:43 PM:. |
How could this be a shoch? The man was halfway down the shark's throat. John Boehner, R-Ohio, mispoke. He actuslly meant to say,"...Tom is one of the most effective and GRIFTED leaders the Republican Party has ever known." Truth at last.
Hmmmm I'm thinking he'll go whole hog and blame Christian gays liberally menacing married people. :D