Posted on 04/04/2006 9:08:40 AM PDT by RWR8189
TOM DELAY wants you to know that his decision to stand down for reelection and resign from Congress by summer has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the investigation into the business practices of Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who pleaded guilty to corruption, bribery, and wire fraud charges (among others) in January and who was sentenced to almost six years in prison (for starters) last week.
"I paid lawyers to investigate me as if they were prosecuting me," DeLay told Time's Mike Allen, who broke the story late yesterday evening. "They found nothing. There is absolutely nothing--no connection with Jack Abramoff that is illegal, dishonest, unethical, or against the House rules."
Instead, DeLay explained, his decision to bow out of American politics--an arena in which he was an unparalleled master as House majority whip and leader from 1995 to 2005--is more about avoiding a nasty campaign against former Democratic congressman Nick Lampson. "This had become a referendum on me," DeLay said, "so it's better for me to step aside and let it be a referendum on ideas, Republican values, and what's important for this district."
This, even though his decision comes about 72 hours after his former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to corruption and bribery charges in connection with the Abramoff probe. This, even though DeLay personally made his debut in the numerous court filings re: Abramoff as "Representative #2" in the criminal information filed as part of Rudy's plea deal. This, even though his former press secretary, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty to related charges last November. This, even though his former chief of staff, Ed Buckham, is also under close scrutiny in the Department of Justice's public corruption investigation. And this, even though DeLay's last "resignation," when he told Republicans he would not seek to reclaim his majority leader post, came swiftly on the heels of Abramoff's January plea.
Here's what's puzzling: If DeLay's decision has nothing to do with the Abramoff investigation, shouldn't he have resigned from Congress earlier? Because other than Rudy's deal, not much has changed in DeLay's political life since October, when he was indicted in Texas on money laundering charges, and January, when he returned to backbencher status. In fact, less than a month ago DeLay won an overwhelming primary victory (60 percent to 30 percent) over Republican lawyer Tom Campbell, who drew attention to the former majority leader's ethics record. Shouldn't have that signaled to DeLay that he had a fighting chance against Nick Lampson, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Texas's 22nd District?
Yet what is most puzzling about the news of DeLay's demise is that numerous commentators are buying into the "nothing to do with Abramoff" line. Here's University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato: "My guess is that Tom DeLay took a cold, hard-headed look at the facts of the upcoming election, and he realized that ex-Rep. Nick Lampson was likely to win." Here's radio talk show host Mark Levin: "Despite the media speculation, the Abramoff charges have never had anything to do with him." On my way to work this morning, I heard similar sentiments from CBS's Gloria Borger and WTOP radio political analyst Mark Plotkin.
And perhaps they're right. On Sunday, Bob Novak reported that Abramoff has privately told friends and associates that he has nothing on DeLay. Over the last several months, I've heard the same thing from acquaintances of the convicted felon. And maybe the reports are true.
But, even if they are, what have Scanlon and Rudy been telling their friends?
Matthew Continetti is a staff writer at The Weekly Standard and the author of The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine, in stores April 18.
And perhaps they're right. On Sunday, Bob Novak reported that Abramoff has privately told friends and associates that he has nothing on DeLay.
Based on this sort of evidence, the author concludes that DeLay is in deep with Abramoff and resigning out of fear. Maybe the author is a Leftist.
LOL. They so want to BELIEVE!
This does free up Delay to run in '08...
And he's gonna kick her cellulite ass.
I stopped my subscription to WS during the impeachment days. When Stephen Hayes began writing his excellent pieces for them, for a minute there, I thought they'd improved. Now this. I see they haven't. Excuse me if I don't jump on the "Bash DeLay" bandwagon.
i think the weekly standard is a conservative publication
I disagree. I think they ought to hold his feet to the fire. All the "pay to play" stuff is disgusting.
Hold his feet to the fire? Fer cryin' out loud, his feet have been "held to the fire" for years now as Ronnie Earle has tried to convict him in his kangaroo court. If you can't see a 'Rat purpose behind getting rid of Delay, then you're blind. Delay has helped this party more than most people will ever know.
I think he realized more than anything, that outside of leadership, he has a very small role in the caucus.
Boehner is already proving to be fickle, and its a shame.
--Hold his feet to the fire? Fer cryin' out loud, his feet have been "held to the fire" for years now as Ronnie Earle
Wasn't referring to Earle, was talking about TWS. Earle's got his own problems.
Well, the corruption bothers me quite a lot; and if this is the best conservatives in Congress can deliver (two top aides plead guilty to very serious felonies; a third is apparently under investigation, according to the WSJ), then I really want nothing to do with the House conservatives.
The K Street Gang
The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine
Matthew Continetti (View Bio)
Doubleday, 2006
Did the American conservative movement begin as a noble cause, turn into a career, and end up as a racket? What happens when ideologues obtain power? The K STREET GANG is the inside story of how a group of self-styled Republican reformers succumbed to temptation, becoming as corrupt as the Democrats they had been elected to replace. Matthew Continetti takes us behind the headlines to meet a group of young idealists who came to Washington to do good and ended up staying to do well
If Delay was still in his post, there would be no way the Senate would put up that Amnesty bill because they know Delay would have destroyed it during the conference meetings.
Also, I'm glad a so called conservative magazine is defending one of it's own. (sarcasm)
I'm glad he's out. The "Republican Revolution" died on his watch.
Oh come on, our we really so intent on losing the White House in 08 that we'd get excited about a Delay run? When did the GOP turn into a suicide cult?
One has to ask why he didn't drop out before the primary back in early March instead of costing his opponents a ton of money they will now need to beat Lampson. That was a needless exercise in arrogance by Delay who should have stepped aside before the primary so as to allow the GOP candidate to maintain his resources in the general election, assuming the same man will now run which I assume he will. Anyway, good riddance...
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