When Earle is slapped down, DeLay will be vindicated and people will not be able to distinguish between all of these technical charges and will just assume he was vindicated en toto.
The latest Limbaugh Letter has on it cover something like "democrat justice: Conviction before trial" The DNCmedia will from now on speak of DeLay as guilty of everything - "why else would he give up" "there must be stuff that we will never know that is even worse than what we do know" "his crimes put him in the category of Nixon" etc etc - from this day on his guilt will never be erased from the mouths or pens of every dem.
In the mind of the media, DeLay was guilty the moment Earle indicted him. He still has his Congressional seat and therefore a platform from which to defend himself and any news on him will be seen throughout the media, including exoneration. He can use that to his advantage when it comes.