Shays: DeLay on 'thinnest ice'

Connecticut Post ^ | 4/10/05 | Peter Urban

[Crackingham]

In an effort to parry likely Democratic attacks, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, has started to distance himself from embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Shays, who narrowly won re-election last November, bluntly criticized DeLay as pushing ethics and campaign finance laws "to the very edge" and antagonizing Democrats with his partisan rhetoric.

"He is on the thinnest of ice as far as I'm concerned," said Shays, who noted that the conservative Texan has been reprimanded three times by the House ethics committee. "That is disquieting. It raises huge questions that Democrats have a right to raise."

And raise they have. Two liberal groups are running TV ads demanding that DeLay resign as House majority leader and are urging fellow Republican congressmen to mobilize against him.

The House Standards of Official Conduct Committee reprimanded Delay for, among other things, creating the appearance of giving special access to contributors seeking to influence energy legislation.

A Texas prosecutor has not ruled out indicting DeLay in a fund-raising scandal that has already led to the indictment of three of his political associates.

[arasina]

Hey Tom, find some way to shut this a-hole up. With "pubs" like this, who needs "dems"?

How is it that so many elected Republicans can so stupid? They seem to love being on the losing side of every issue and if they're not, they do their best to make it so. I guess they want to be 'liked' by their peers more than they want to serve their constituents.

This whole thing with DeLay has to be yet another media-made scandal. I don't know what to believe anymore.