DeLay Apologizes for Schiavo Case Rhetoric

AP via Yahoo ^ | April 13, 2005 | Terence Hunt

[cyncooper]

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay apologized Wednesday for using overheated rhetoric on the day Terri Schiavo died, but refused to say whether he supports impeachment of the judges who ruled in her case.

~snip~

At a crowded news conference in his Capitol office, DeLay addressed remarks he made in the hours after the brain-damaged Florida woman died on March 31. "I said something in an inartful way and I shouldn't have said it that way and I apologize for saying it that way," DeLay told reporters.

~snip~

DeLay seemed at pains to soften, if slightly, his rhetoric of March 31, when Schiavo died despite an extraordinary political and legal effort to save her life.

"I believe in an independent judiciary. I repeat, of course I believe in an independent judiciary," DeLay said.

At the same time, he added, the Constitution gives Congress power to oversee the courts.

"We set up the courts. We can unset the courts. We have the power of the purse," DeLay said.

Asked whether he favors impeachment for any of the judges in the Schiavo case, he did not answer directly.

Instead, he referred reporters to an earlier request he made to the House Judiciary Committee to look into "judicial activism" and Schiavo's case in particular.

~snip~

[Trinity_Tx]

" How did that FR poll turn out?

Was it wrong to kill Terri Schiavo?: 82.5% Yes, 12.2% No.

Ah, yes...that refreshes my memory. But, remember, we're the extremists."

Well, to try to put this into perspective:

I think it was wrong to remove her tube *and* I think a lot of "us" are indeed extremists who are acting out of misguided hysteria, instead of logic, sound reasoning, and all the facts.

But no one ever listens to me, so... whatever. lol

[Lancey Howard]

Great post, B Knotts!
To all: Thanks for offering up some sanity around here. Sometimes all I can do is shake my head when people claim that Schiavo's barbaric murder was justified by "the rule of law".

Regards,
LH

[justshutupandtakeit]

I haven't heard too many who want to throw him over. I certainly don't just shut up for a while. I knew and said here that he was making a huge mistake but this is just making it worse.

Those complaining loudest here about betrayal and cowardice are NOT the "pragmatists" but ARE the "extremists" and they are already threatening to leave the GOP because Delay had now admitted the pragmatists were correct.

[lula]

It's just that we are pretty worn. We fought so hard and those in charge didn't step up to the plate. What else could we have done?

[justshutupandtakeit]

Hopefully he'll just shut up now. He can still survive but has to zip it for a while.

[lula]

It's happening again in Georgia.

[Miss Behave]

Exactly. Plain and simple.

[Nowhere Man]

If you ask me there's nothing to apologize for, as far as I'm concerned Delay and the House should have been tougher. The activist judges who would yank the plug and starve us to death deserve no support whatsoever.

Well, he did pull a Trent Lott, I wonder who or what got to him? I'm not having a lot of faith in many Republicans anymore and I certainly not support the Democrats either. Noted muckraker and author, David Graham Phillips (1867-1911), noted even back 100+ years ago that there is a "gentleman's agreement" between the parties so there are times there is not a lot of difference between them. I'm seriously looking at third parties although I've been toying with that since 1992 but I still stuck with the Republicans. 2008, well, it depends what we get, some say that idea will sweep in the Democrats. There is a nihilist streak in me saying maybe that would be for the better although there will be pain in the process but if things get so low, it would trigger something of a battle to bring about positive change. It's like hitting the reboot button on the computer. Then again, the social libertines want to force their evil agenda on all of us and the Democrats are the vehicle of choice so as Edmund Burke said, "for evil to triumph, it would take good men to do nothing." Still though, with the RINO's and wimping out, we are still choosing a slower route down the drain. I guess I'll have to watch things and see how they develop.

[justshutupandtakeit]

It is such ridiculous comments, bordering on the demented crap coming from DU, which have made this such a disaster for the GOP and FR.

Talk about hysterical melodramatic nonsense. NOthing can top "my country died" it is hilarious.

[balch3]

On the contrary. He needs to keep fighting. The MSM and the RATS see this as a sign of weakness and will come after him even harder now. The only mistake he made was backing down. Nothing has changed about needing to impeach judges.

[COEXERJ145]

I'm afraid this "apology" seals it, Greer is in the clear. He does whatever he wants at trial, tells Congress to stuff it, literally murders somebody yet DeLay is saying he's sorry. It's a world turned upside down.

Congress can't do anything to Greer. He is a state judge. The Florida legislature would have to be the ones to take action.

[k2blader]

Happily, most of FR agrees!

Tho' in terms of the snipes coming from the other side, I'm not sure what's worse, the "rule of law" argument or the "logic/sound reasoning" argument.

[COEXERJ145]

I'm afraid you're right. I said this on another thread: My country DIED with Terri.

OH PLEASE! Stop being so melodramatic.

[lula]

Typical. There is nothing to be joyful about wrt TS's tragedy. However, I do understand that to pretend what she had was nothing but a semblence of life. NO ONE deserves such a fate. Society cannot pay millions to preserve all those in such conditions when there is NO hope they will return. It simply does not have the resources to spend. I know people refuse to deal with this crass subject of money but the facts don't go away.

That's the problem. MONEY is more important than life?

You cannot serve two masters.

[balch3]

They could have at least brought him to Congress and made him sweat. Maybe it would have put hte fear of God into some of the other black robed tyrants.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Not a word of truth in that statement. Overblown hysterics don't do much for rational people.

You don't even understand that Congress did not tell Greer anything so he COULDN'T have "gone against" it. Yet, you think you can pronounce on matters of medicine and law.

[Miss Behave]

"Right. This coming from somebody who sneered about "the Terri crowd" (post #16). You could cut the hypocrisy with a chainsaw."

OMG. Your wording, Lancey. A freshly-sharpened chainsaw. Dub's BIG, bad chainsaw. ;-)

[Cold Heat]

Talk about hysterical melodramatic nonsense. NOthing can top "my country died" it is hilarious.

Nope, that one wins the prize......so far..:-)

[Central Scrutiniser]

Well, if the swastika fits, they should wear it.

Please elucidate