Free Republic

WASHINGTON - A former Republican congressman who was a moderate ally of former President Bush is leading an effort to find a 2006 Republican primary election opponent for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Former Rep. Pete McCloskey, whose eight terms in Congress ended before DeLay arrived in 1984, said Friday that he will meet in Houston this month with perennial DeLay opponent Michael Fjetland and "any Republican who is willing to challenge Mr. DeLay." "It takes guts to challenge him," said McCloskey, who was known as a party maverick and endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. But, he...

WASHINGTON - A scathing rebuke in a national newspaper with a strongly conservative editorial page and a report that his family had ended life support for his father created fresh troubles for Tom DeLay on Monday, but there were no clear signs that his core supporters were abandoning the House majority leader. The Wall Street Journal, which in the past has quibbled with DeLay over issues, took dead aim at his ethical conduct. " ... Mr. DeLay, who rode to power in 1994 on a wave of revulsion at the everyday ways of big government, has become the the living...

Will Jack Abramoff be Tom DeLay's Monica Lewinsky? No, not that way. Get your mind out of the gutter. But remember two things. First, Bill Clinton skirted serious trouble (regarding womanizing in his instance) until Lewinsky produced the stained blue dress. Then all his finger-wagging protestations (not to mention perjured deposition) were for naught. The DNA was damning. Second, even after the dress, Clinton hung on despite Republican efforts to dethrone him. That's the good news, bad news as we contemplate what it could mean to DeLay if a lobbyist starts singing for the feds. Jack Abramoff is the once-high-flying...

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...

Some say Jack Abramoff is just doing his job, but a probe is putting heat on him — and DeLay WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay finds himself in political controversy partly because of his close relationship with Jack Abramoff, a former action movie producer turned superstar lobbyist who is now the target of a federal grand jury investigation. Abramoff, whose alliance with DeLay has been rooted in religious values and conservative politics, has been accused of bilking Indian tribes of tens of millions of dollars. His alleged exploitation of Texas' Tigua Indians and other tribes is at the...