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.
Not good.
Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.
Nothing wrong with that and he should run again for the leadership position if he so chooses once cleared. That is why he and his attorney pushed so hard for an early trial and or to have the indictments squashed or thrown out. DeLay knew the Party needed a full time leader beginning when the Congress convenes in a couple of weeks. JMO.
I am SO with you in your anger....
I was upset last night...before Delay did this...when so many freepers were calling for his dismissal...
I blame the REPUBLICAN SENATORS as much as the HOUSE REPUBLICANS...because those darn RINOS in the Senate probably were whispering in the ears of the House GOP to get rid of Delay...
DAMN, JUST DAMN....(sorry Jim)...but I am mad, too.
Thanks ARMYBRATPROUD....you are right on target..
"It's definitely all about the R's and D's."
No, sir, it is NOT. It is about a true conservative agenda guided by HONEST leadership. We haven't had such leadership since Newt left in disgrace.
Looking to Delay or any other of the current crop of shysters is not the answer. What we really need are strict term limits. If the career pols won't initiate them, we should, and the party affiliation be damned.
Incumbency and runaway gerrymandering is ruining our country. Drink all the Kool-Aid you like. As for me, I'll NEVER vote for another incumbent.
Your posts make him sound like a Maxine Waters, and nothing nothing nothing could be further from the truth.
Politics is the art of the possible, not the perfect.
Well, no matter now: Tom DeLay is gone. Whoever the Republicans elect as leader next will, I'm certain, be unfit for office in the eyes of people who think Tom DeLay was too liberal. So start makin' your list of imperfections in a majority leader now; you'll be able to attach them to nearly anyone who'll take Tom's place.
"So you think DeLay should leave in disgrace and he's a shyster."
Here's my position, loud and clear, so to speak: I think they ALL are disgraceful shysters. Period.
You, on the other hand, have the option of staying stuck on stupid, and convincing yourself there is a dime's worth of difference between any of the lot. You are just what the bastards are looking for and counting on to keep them ensconced in office forever.
Thank you, yes it should be. Only novel I've ever read that needs an index.
And the way things are going, it'll move from novel to prognostication. I started a few companies, then removed myself from the scene for a few years. I'm back in business, but thinking of disappearing again. Tired of all the crap and sick to death of government parasites harassing those they steal from.
Yep. Not a dime's worth of difference between the President and John Kerry, or Dennis Hastert and Nancy Pelosi, or Bill Frist and Harry Reid.............not a dime's worth.....
I was referring to members of congress, dimbulb. Nice try, though.
Thanks for setting me straight.
psssst........one word for you to chew on.........Integrity. Denny has it. Nancy doesn't. Bill has it. Harry doesn't. Get it?
In a word....yep.
You can count me in as well. I fear that most Americans will never understand that they're being played by the political/media establishment until it's too late.
You beat me to it.
Some of the libertarians are threatened by Mike Pence. That's a good sign for the GOP.
There is only one GOOD party in America: The Republican Party.
Amen.
IIRC, "the bastards" is a term of endearment reserved for voters.
As in, "The people have spoken, the bastards."
Case in point: a recent stunt by BBC Radio 4's Today program. As an exercise in grass-roots lobbying, Today asked its 6 million weekly listeners to propose a new law for the new year. A labour MP, Stephen Pound, was drafted to front the bill when it was all over.More than 10,000 new laws were suggested over the course of a couple weeks. Of those, five were short-listed and voted on via email and telephone by some 26,007 respondents. The results, as one wag put it, "blew up" in the face of Today's producers and presenters.
Clearly expecting some sensible law mandating fat-free potato chips or renewed efforts to save the ruby-throated thrush of Upper Equatorial Guinea, the organizers were obviously aghast when the winner, with 37 percent of the vote, was a law allowing homeowners to use "any means" to defend their property from intruders.
Runners-up included measures forcing people to opt-out if they didn't want their organs donated for transplant after death, a bill to ban smoking in all workplaces including bars and restaurants, a double-headed one on term limits for prime ministers and compulsory voting, and, finally, a ban on Christmas advertising before December 1.
The winning law quickly became known as "Tony Martin's Law" after the Norfolk farmer who spent nearly four years in jail for killing a 16-year-old burglar who had broken into his home.
Currently, the law allows the use of "reasonable force," but in practical terms it tends to weigh heavily in favor of the wrongdoer instead of the wronged, and draconian weapons laws mean homeowners are unlikely to have more than a cricket bat or soup ladle to defend themselves. Tony Martin, in a far-from-unusual act of gall, was sued for lost wages by a second burglar he merely winged.
But after he heard the result, the Labour politician appeared to withdraw his support, arguing: "This bill is unworkable," as it "endorses the slaughter of 16-year-old kids."
Mr. Pound was apoplectic. The bill was "unworkable," he said. "I can't remember who it was who said 'The people have spoken - the bastards,'" he quipped.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.