Posted on 01/07/2006 9:23:30 AM PST by Gipper08
By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among House Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.
These officials said DeLay, R-Texas, was preparing a letter informing fellow House Republicans of his decision. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
DeLay is battling campaign finance charges in Texas and was forced to step aside temporarily as majority leader last fall after he was charged in his home state. He has consistently maintained his innocence and said he intended to resume his leadership post once cleared.
Maybe he cares about the party more than personal power.
It is not about conviction. It is about staging a sham trial with a nonstop parade of bogus witnesses and bogus "facts" that the MSM will broadcast with little or any broadcast of rebuttal. In fact, with conyers as chairman, he can greatly limit the time for any opposing views.
Look at the latest blips on http://BigCharts.MarketWatch.com:
1:28 DeLay drops bid to return as Majority Leader
12:48 U.S. House elections likely the week of Jan. 30, AP says
12:47 Acting Maj. Leader Roy Blunt to run for post, AP says
12:46 House Speaker Hastert to delay trip, report says
Agreed. I am just making an almost impossible scenario.
I believe that Delay will dispatch the charges against him in Texas soon enough. What I feel may have prompted this move is the Abramoff situation.
It was one thing to clear himself of the charges in Texas, but soon there will be charges of impropriety in relation to Abrimoff. Then he'll have to spend time clearing himself of those charges.
What this boils down to, is a situation where the leader of the Republicans in the House would have to focus on clearing himself once again, rather than spending full time on his duties.
I don't see Delay stepping down unless there was something in addition to the charges in Texas looming.
The charges in Texas were trumped up. They were purely political from my point of view. I just don't know how you clear yourself in a timely manner from all the muck and still perform your job.
I question whether it was wise of Abrimoff to go belly up without a fight. Evidently his defense team thought this was the right thing to do, but it sure is going to put a lot of folks in the crosshairs, for basicly doing what's been done in D.C. for centuries, and considered legal.
I don't agree with some of the things that go on in D.C., and Abrimoff is probably a good example of why. The problem for me is that it appears he did operate by the rules in place, but still got dinged. I'm by no means convinced what he did was illegal, although I think much of it should be. The question for me is one of timing. Create laws that make what Abrimoff did illegal. Then go after people like him.
Perhaps in the end that is what has taken place, but I'm not completely convinced of it at this time.
Here we have a Justice Department under a Republican Administration going after anyone no matter who their actions may have touched. Imagine a Justice Department with that much zeal under the Clintons. Now that would have been something to watch.
More proof that Republicans walk the walk and Dems only talk the talk.
I just coughed up 2000 for Ehrlich (R gov. of MD). It hurt to write that check too. I guess I will have to hurt a little more.
About that: Who votes and elects Democrats and RINO's to majority numbers?
If the voters want big government, then why should a president politician veto big government?
Now THAT is the question of the last three decades!!!
Every day it gets harder and harder to tell the two parties apart on many issues. Looks like the only thing they are good at anymore is spending our money and fighting like little petulant girls between themselves.
You are right!Earle had little to do with what happened today!
BTTT
Extremely good point you make here.
Yes, the Rats are excellent at this and deserve credit for their political acumen, disgusting as their methods are. That is why they are able to project influence that is far beyond the actual support they have. They are very good at singling out and focusing on Republicans who are especially effective -- Gingrich, Limbaugh, DeLay -- and working to destroy their reputations. Republicans, on the other hand, can not even bring down such bloated targets as Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd or Hillary Clinton. Fortunately for us, our numbers are greater than theirs, so our side can make up in quantity what it lacks in political skill.
People in glass houses should be banned for throwing stones like that!!!
Assuming he's paroled, yes.
Take that to mean I think this Abramoff thing will be quite interesting, and hopefully cleansing.
And you think the MSM and the Democrats are going to accept the Delay sacrifice (plus all the other Republicans that are going to get thrown under the bus in the coming days to try to appease their enemies) and give this up as a campaign issue? What I really love best about the Republican party is how all the Democrats have to do is scare them, threaten them, and they will do all the hard work of committing suicide instead of making the Democrats kill them.
Especially if Dems knew about it and Pubbies didn't.
They have the media hauling their water. I don't give the Rats credit for anything. The media hides their misdeeds, covers for them, and hails their greatness. If we had the media on our side or at least a non-bias media, the Republicans would be far superior.
YOU are in NO position to be telling ANYONE what they can, or cannot acheive, at ANYTIME!!! Just knock it off!!!
Ah, but consider the possibility that he may be right. I still stand behind my comments.
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