Wall Street Journal, Smells Like Beltway/rawstory

[cal04]

Wall Street Journal, home of nation's most renowed conservative editorial page, slams Tom DeLay (R-TX)
Smells Like Beltway The real reason Tom DeLay is in political trouble.

Monday, March 28, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST

By now you have surely read about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s ethics troubles. Probably, too, you aren’t entirely clear as to what those troubles are–something to do with questionable junkets, Indian casino money, funny business on the House Ethics Committee, stuff down in Texas. In Beltway-speak, what this means is that Mr. DeLay has an “odor": nothing too incriminating, nothing actually criminal, just an unsavory whiff that could have GOP loyalists reaching for the political Glade if it gets any worse. The Beltway wisdom is right. Mr. DeLay does have odor issues. Increasingly, he smells just like the Beltway itself.

Here is the abbreviated rap sheet against Mr. DeLay. First, we have the imbroglio with the House Ethics Committee, which last year rebuked him on three occasions. Among his sins: He offered to endorse outgoing Representative Nick Smith’s son in a GOP primary if Mr. Smith would vote “yes” on the Medicare prescription-drug bill. (Mr. Smith declined the offer; his son lost the primary.) Mr. DeLay has since changed Committee rules so that it can no longer launch investigations on a party-line basis, and by packing the Committee with loyalists.

Next, there is the Texas business. Ronnie Earle, the district attorney for Travis County (which contains Austin), last year indicted three DeLay associates involved in his Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee for money laundering and illegal campaign contributions. Mr. Earle also will not rule out a possible indictment of Mr. DeLay himself.

Mr. Earle, a partisan Democrat, has a record of making suspect accusations: In 1993, he indicted newly elected Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on evidence so weak the case was never brought to trial. The indictments of Mr. DeLay’s associates came just six weeks before November’s elections; Mr. Earle’s primary aim, it seemed, was to derail Mr. DeLay’s ultimately successful efforts to achieve the first Republican majority in the Texas delegation to the U.S. House since Reconstruction. Still, the “odor” stuck; last year Mr. DeLay had to fend off a stiff challenge from a complete unknown to keep what otherwise would have been his safe seat.



http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=224

[bearfan454]

1. Delay is a criminal !

He violated Texas Felony Laws by funneling corporate money through his PAC.

[Skittles]

4. he is such a piece of f***ing garbage

I can't believe the people of Texas can't see through that piece of shit

[meegbear]

2. They didn't slam too hard ...

Mr. Earle, a partisan Democrat ... Mr. Earle’s primary aim, it seemed, was to derail Mr. DeLay’s ultimately successful efforts to achieve the first Republican majority in the Texas delegation to the U.S. House since Reconstruction.

The guy has prosecuted both Democrats and repugs.

The gist of this editorial seems more like "DeLay may have acted bad, but if he's gonna be drummed out of office, it should be because he's not kissing right-wing ass hard enough and not because he broke any laws."

[zbdent]

3. Wasn't Smith's the one that Delay & Co. threatened

a.k.a. blackmailed?

[GetTheRightVote]

5. Delay has broken many rules and laws, put him in jail

:kick: