That’s right. He’s not seeking reelection and he’ll be resigning from Congress soon.
Rep. Tom DeLay, whose iron hold on the House Republicans melted as a lobbying corruption scandal engulfed the Capitol, told TIME that he will not seek reelection and will leave Congress within months. Taking defiant swipes at “the left” and the press, he said he feels “liberated” and vowed to pursue an aggressive speaking and organizing campaign aimed at promoting foster care, Republican candidates and a closer connection between religion and government.
“I’m going to announce tomorrow that I’m not running for reelection and that I’m going to leave Congress,” DeLay, who turns 59 on Saturday, said during a 90-minute interview on Monday. “I’m very much at peace with it.” He notified President Bush in the afternoon. DeLay and his wife, Christine, said they had been prepared to fight, but that he decided last Wednesday, after months of prayer and contemplation, to spare his suburban Houston district the mudfest to come. “This had become a referendum on me,” he said. “So it’s better for me to step aside and let it be a referendum on ideas, Republican values and what’s important for this district.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah…
My guess is he’s in trouble and he knows it. I’m sorry, but it seem highly unlikely that a guy like DeLay would just give up power like this. As Josh Marshall puts it…
DeLay’s lawyers must have sat him down over the last 72 hours and explained to him that he needs to focus on not spending most of the rest of his life in prison.
Meanwhile, Power Line takes this opportunity (shock!) to bash Dems…
As far as we can tell at the moment, DeLay appears to be yet another victim of the Democrats’ politics of personal destruction–the only politics they know.
Heh. Yeah…it’s not as if people within DeLay’s office have plead guilty to conspiracy or anything. Yep, it’s all about those damn Dems and their damn words! Quite a hacktackular display of blind partisan hackery Powerline. Bravo!
There will be more on DeLay soon I’m sure. Stay tuned.