Posted on 04/13/2005 12:47:36 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay asked Senate Republicans on Tuesday to be patient while he defends himself against a Democratic campaign to unseat him and news reports about his ethics.
During the weekly closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans, which DeLay recently began attending to discuss House matters, the Sugar Land lawmaker thanked Republicans for their support.
DeLay said his political troubles are part of a Democratic assault on the Republican agenda, senators said.
DeLay asked the senators to "give him a chance to defend himself," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who expressed confidence that an eventual House ethics committee review would clear DeLay.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., agreed: "Everyone seems to be looking for a smoking gun and nobody has been shot."
GOP could be hurt
At the same time, some senators expressed concern that the media attention on DeLay's travels and fund-raising could hurt the Republican Party, even if DeLay is exonerated.
Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., a moderate who has been targeted for defeat by Democrats next year, said DeLay's troubles could play into charges that Republicans are abusing power.
"It tends to cast a shadow over the party. That's just the way it is," Chafee said.
The House leader's harsh criticism of the federal judiciary "is very unhealthy" and "it's political rhetoric that needs to be stopped," added Graham.
In a sign of the frenzy surrounding DeLay, tourists on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol, including a woman in a wheelchair, were nearly trampled as DeLay's security cleared a path for him as he rushed down the corridor, reporters in pursuit.
"That's Tom DeLay!" one tourist said loudly.
The leader said he would answer reporters' questions at his weekly news conference today. He characterized his comments to Senate Republicans as a review of the House agenda.
No comments
Texas' Republican senators said they could not comment on DeLay's remarks.
Sen. John Cornyn left the meeting before DeLay spoke. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was in a corner of the room engaged with another senator about NASA.
Hutchison said she did not hear DeLay talk about his predicament.
But other senators wonder whether DeLay will be able to divert the news media's questions about his ethics.
Earlier this week, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., the third-ranking Senate Republican, suggested DeLay answer questions that have been raised about his behavior.
"He will have to make his own judgment about how he handles his own public relations about all of this," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
Some Republicans want DeLay to explain himself before the House ethics committee.
However, the panel is unable to conduct business because Democrats are protesting new rules making it harder to pursue probes against members.
The committee is to meet today to try to break the impasse.
DeLay is receiving advice from Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who was forced to step down as Senate Majority Leader in 2002 after a political gaffe.
"Just keep your mouth shut and go about doing your job," Lott said. But whether DeLay escapes the political heat depends on whether "something else will happen to change the subject, and how he behaves himself."
"He's going through the same thing I went through," Lott said, adding that when DeLay offered support during his own crisis, he warned the Texan that he would be next.
"If you are a conservative Republican leader from the South ... strap it on, baby, because you are fixing to get it."
gebe.martinez@chron.com
"Jack Abramoff was a guy you could buy to make sure your policies happened," he said. "And his relationship to Tom DeLay was central to all of this." ***
Republicans better close ranks behind DeLay and defend him, because if he goes, they'll be next in the sights of the Democrats, until none of them are left.
Newt Gringrich II, The Sequel.
In order for Republicans to close ranks, they would have to have a little backbone.
Allowing their strong House leaders to be picked off one at a time is an unforgiveable Republican Party weakness.
Democrats don't need to draw their daggers. Republicans are more than eager to stab their own in the back.
More non-stories from the left-wing pondscum at the Chronicle. Won't they ever get bored manufacturing attacks on DeLay? nahhh.
"Allowing their strong House leaders to be picked off one at a time is an unforgiveable Republican Party weakness."
Exactly.
This editorial makes this point very clear:
Keep DeLay, or pay the price
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1382611/posts
"They should remember the political maxim that while the law will take care of the guilty, when a politician is innocent of the charges being thrown at him, he can only be brought down by his own side. I have been in a lot of political fights -- from the Goldwater campaign in '64, to almost all of Reagan's fights, to slugging it out side by side with my old boss Newt Gingrich back in the '90s -- and I've never been in one where sacrificing innocent comrades helped in the long run. Human sacrifice had been almost completely extinguished with the passing of the Aztecs -- until the Republican Party came along.
If a party can be stampeded -- by phony charges and a run of shoddy stories in whorish newspapers -- into dumping their most effective congressional leader, I wouldn't give two cents for their near term future. A party that would voluntarily cut off its own testicles and FedEx them to their opponent as a trophy is not likely to manifest any regenerative powers. That's the thing about losing those organs."
Now as I listen to folks like Santorem, I start to wonder if there are any whole men left in the Republican caucus after Delay. Perhaps that is why the Democrats and the media MUST get Delay.
He's their leader and the left wants to cut off his head.
If they abandon DeLay, it will nail their coffin shut.
Well, since the senate is so actively vocal about DeLay, perhaps House Members should feel free to get actively vocal about the senate. Frankly, I think it would be a healthy trend, but not if it's one-sided.
FReegards....
He really said that?
So far I only see it quoted in the Houston Chronicle.
So. This is why Chafee will vote to confirm Bolton. I wondered about that.
"It tends to cast a shadow over the party. That's just the way it is," Chafee said.
The House leader's harsh criticism of the federal judiciary "is very unhealthy" and "it's political rhetoric that needs to be stopped," added Graham.
Not an ounce of testicular fortitude amongst any of them.
IMHO this in the end is more than about DeLay...the MSM is desperately trying to see if they still have "it" ...the ability to shout a politician out of office....."they" need to know this before "they" spend any more serious bucks on a Hillary campaign..if they can't hound DeLay out, IMHO they won't waste the cash to try to run the Hildebeast.....
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