Editorials About Tom DeLay and the Ethics Implosion in the U. S. House
If we're missing any editorials on DeLay and the ethics process, please let us know by commenting in the Common Cause blog.
House Majority Leader is increasingly an embarrassment to the GOP, Editorial, THE DAILY SENTINEL (Nacogdoches, TX), Apr. 21, 2005.
"Embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is becoming increasingly intemperate in his remarks as scrutiny intensifies over his close ties to high-dollar lobbyists. Now he's criticizing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy because he's done research on the Internet. and told Fox Radio there are a 'lot of Republican-appointed judges that are judicial activists.' [...]
"An ethical cloud surrounds DeLay, and it's not going to go away. He has played fast-and-loose with House rules on campaign financing and lobbyists for far too long. His attack on an independent judiciary is simply an attempt to divert attention from his own problems.
"Republican members of Congress would do well to distance themselves from DeLay and begin looking for new leadership. Frankly, he is a disgrace and embarrassment to the party."
Ethics Panel Needs a Hand, Opinion, Chellie Pingree (President, Common Cause), HARTFORD COURANT, Apr. 21, 2005.
"If Simmons is serious about his commitment to ethics in government, as his track record suggests, we urge him to support a measure that would restore former ethics rules in the House so Congress can at least begin investigating allegations of ethical misconduct that have been raised in recent months about DeLay and other members of Congress.
"DeLay, who was reprimanded three times last year by the House Ethics Committee for using strong-arm political tactics - with all Republicans on the panel voting unanimously to admonish him - is now facing new allegations about whether he took foreign junkets illegally financed by a lobbyist and/or a foreign agent. Three of his close associates were also indicted in a Texas grand jury investigation into campaign finance violations.
"DeLay may be guilty or he may be blameless; we do not know. The House - our most democratic of institutions - needs to immediately restore ethics standards, as well as a process to investigate complaints and to hold members accountable for their conduct."
An Ethics Offer, Editorial, WASH. POST, Apr. 21, 2005.
"There's no doubt that this is an improvement. The promise of a vote at least demands some accountability from committee members, and the guarantee of three months and potentially more to investigate a complaint is positive. But the setup would still tilt the ethics panel, which after all has not been disposed to hyperactivity, in favor of inaction. If members know that a deadlocked vote will simply end the matter once and for all, they will have less incentive to reach bipartisan accommodation.
"A more fundamental problem is that -- were the Democrats to accept this offer, and they've said they won't -- the panel would be operating, now and in future Congresses, under the flawed rules imposed unilaterally on the Democratic minority. Even if Mr. Hastings's proposal were perfect, it would just amount to an informal and temporary understanding; it wouldn't bind any future chairmen. Ethics chairmen come and go; just ask Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), who was ousted after the committee, under his leadership, repeatedly admonished Mr. DeLay for ethical missteps. That's why it's important to have the right rules in place, and to get them in place the right way."
Probe those trips, Editorial, ROLL CALL, Apr. 20, 2005. (Subscription required)
"These trips warrant investigation. The ethics committee is the proper forum. The committee can launch an informal staff investigation by simple agreement of the chairman, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), and the ranking minority member, Rep. Alan Mollohan (W.Va.). But to really get to the bottom of the matter, the committee will have to launch a full investigation, appointing a special subcommittee and giving it subpoena power and staff resources.
"This, under the new rules pushed through by the Republican majority, will require a majority vote of the committee - in other words, at least one Republican will have to vote for it. Democrats should put the committee to the test. If DeLay is certain he's clean, he'll let Republican members launch the probe. If Republicans block it, we can all draw our own conclusions."
A stain on the House, Editorial, CHI. TRIBUNE, Apr. 18, 2005. (Registration required)
"The problem for Republicans is that DeLay's troubles only seem to mount, and the notion that he's the victim of a Democratic Party/liberal media witch hunt just doesn't hold water. DeLay was admonished by the House Ethics Committee three times last year. That would be the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee.
"For the good of his party, DeLay needs to answer the questions that dog him about campaign contributions and lobbyist-paid trips and nepotism hires--and step aside as majority leader.
"But Republican leaders have to go beyond that. They can't continue to aid the efforts by DeLay to dodge responsibility. [...]
"Republicans have enjoyed a good, decade-long run in control of the House. Maybe so good they've forgotten that they took power in large part because voters were fed up with the arrogant, ethically questionable practices of Washington. It would be ironic if the GOP lost power for the same reason."
DeLay dust-up draws venom, but where's scrutiny?, Editorial, USA TODAY, Apr. 17, 2005.
"Fairness, real and perceived, is a litmus test of the political health of either party. By that standard, the Republicans have hurt themselves more in handling the DeLay issue than the Democrats have with all of their attacks. [...]
"DeLay's defenders say there is no proof he has broken any law. Perhaps so. But absent a forum for fair judgment, political invective is inevitable.
"The bigger truth is that power brings the temptation for abuse — and the seeds of its own destruction, as Democrats learned a decade ago when Republicans regained control of the House, in part because of Democrats' ethical lapses and scandals.
"Sadly, the Republicans seem to have taken the wrong lesson from the experience."
Power for Power's Sake, Editorial, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. 17, 2005. (Registration required)
"At first, Mr. DeLay's endless power grabs served a policy agenda, just as Mr. Gingrich's 1994 revolution had its Contract With America. Whether you liked it or not, it was a list of political positions and government initiatives. But increasingly, Mr. DeLay has been in hot pursuit of things that have nothing to do with the issues on which the Republicans ran in the last two elections, and everything to do with accumulating and monopolizing power. [...]
"After all, this is the man who once was reported to have declared upon being stopped from lighting a cigar in a government-owned building, 'I am the federal government.' The remark now seems prophetic. Government is hobbled by Mr. DeLay and it is up to his fellow Republicans to finally realize that."
Get Tom DeLay to the Church on Time, Frank Rich, Opinion, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. 17, 2005. (Registration required)
"A scandal is like any other melodrama: It can't be a crowd pleaser unless the audience can follow the plot. That's why Monica Lewinsky trumped Whitewater, and that's why of all the story lines ensnaring Tom DeLay, the one with legs is the one with the craps tables. It's not just easy to follow, but it also has a combustive cultural element that makes it as representative of its political era as Monicagate was of the Clinton years. As the lies and subterfuge of the go-go 1990's coalesced around sex, so the scandal of our new "moral values" decade comes cloaked in religion. The hair shirt is the new thong."
Time to ditch Tom DeLay, Editorial, KOKOMO (IN) TRIBUNE, Apr. 17, 2005.
"But the GOP leadership already knows the majority of Americans are disenchanted with DeLay's leadership style. The appearance of impropriety, stemming from questions about DeLay's arm twisting in the run-up to the Medicare prescription drug bill vote, demands for campaign contributions which, critics claim, border on extortion, his acceptance of paid junkets from Washington lobbyists, etc., is beginning to tarnish his entire party."
Time for DeLay to go, Editorial, THE DAY (New London, CT), Apr. 17, 2005. (Registration required)
"Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th, is right. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is an embarrassment to Congress and should resign. U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd, should consider joining forces with Mr. Shays and call for Mr. DeLay to pack his bags. [...]
"Mr. Simmons has in the past walked a tightrope. He is more independent than the typical Republican congressman, and he should be. There is also uncertainty concerning Southeastern Connecticut's future as it approaches the base-closing process that could decide the future of the sub base. He has many practical considerations to balance.
"However hard it is for any GOP congressman to take on a powerful - and frequently vindictive - member of the House Republican leadership, that choice will have to be made, sooner or later.
"Those in public service must be held to a minimum standard. If the term 'integrity in government' is not an oxymoron, Tom DeLay has got to go."
Why Tom DeLay should go, Editorial, THE ECONOMIST, Apr. 14, 2005. (Subscription required)
"For the American right, K-Street conservatism is the political version of steroids: it confers short-term strength at the expense of long-term health problems. The Republicans took over Congress in 1994 in part because they skilfully used attacks on individual politicians to suggest that the Democrats were soft on corruption. The Republicans are vulnerable to exactly this treatment. From that perspective, getting rid of Mr DeLay is only a first step. But it is a good place to start."
On the ropes: DeLay's effectiveness in Congress is withering because of his bad choices, Editorial, THE COLUMBUS (OH) DISPATCH, Apr. 14, 2005, at 12A. (Registration required)
"DeLay has loyal supporters in Congress who recite his legislative accomplishments, which are many. But the abrasiveness that served his admirable reform efforts early in his Capitol career has become the hallmark of a man concerned foremost with preserving personal power.
"DeLay has the skill and intelligence to maneuver himself politically away from ethics problems and toward the business of Congress, but he first would need an honest self-assessment that puts power in the perspective of the duties and ideals he swore to uphold.
"If, instead, DeLay continues to shoot himself in the foot, he continues to wound his party."
Time to go: Republicans are speaking out at last against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Editorial, TIMES-UNION (Albany, NY), Apr. 13, 2005.
"Motivated by genuine indignation, political pressure or perhaps both, prominent Republicans are saying loudly and publicly that they've had enough. Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut is typical of them. His long criticism of Mr. DeLay cut straight to the point in a weekend interview with The Associated Press. The Republicans were standing by Mr. DeLay, Mr. Shays explained, at their own political peril. [...]
"We'd hope, too, that Rep. John Sweeney of Clifton Park would be among the leaders of the movement for Mr. DeLay to step down. Last fall it was his view that Mr. DeLay was the victim of an ethics committee that had veered out of control. Only Mr. DeLay has become a much bigger problem, both ethically and politically, since then."
DeLay Must Go, Editorial, RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, Apr. 13, 2005.
"[C]ongressional Republicans would be wise to strip DeLay of his leadership position. Stories about ethical questions have become a drumbeat; the latest involve payments to DeLay's wife and daughter by his political and campaign committees, and a six-day junket to Moscow funded by lobbyists.
"If the particulars do not breach the boundaries of House ethics rules, then they skirt right along the edge -- and blast through the walls erected by simple prudence. Arguing that the other side lacks a perfect record is no defense, and 'Not Quite so Bad as They Are' is not much of a campaign slogan. If anything, it is an endorsement of endless scandalmongering, because both parties by now have a sordid record the other can point to as justification for its own misdeeds. One side needs to break the cycle of sleaze, and it might as well be the GOP. [...]
"The GOP now faces a choice. It can admit that past assaults on Democrats were cynical exercises in political hardball that had nothing to do with a genuine concern for propriety. Or Republicans can resolve to uphold the standards they set. The latter course is the better and wiser one."
Closing a Credibility Gap in Congress, Joel Hefley and Alan B. Mollohan, Opinion, WASH. POST, Apr. 13, 2005, at A17. (Common Blog entry)
"There should be no misunderstanding of what is at stake here, for members and for the House as an institution. In the days and weeks to come, all members will need to decide whether they wish to continue to have a credible, effective ethics process, and to then consider the actions and conditions necessary for such a process to exist. We believe that an essential first step is to repeal the rules changes made at the start of this Congress.
"In taking this position, we by no means wish to preclude the possibility of future changes. To the contrary, we believe that ethics rules need to be constantly reevaluated and changed whenever shortcomings are found. And they must be considered and adopted through a genuinely open, bipartisan process."
DeLay Becomes a Liability, Editorial, HARTFORD COURANT, Apr. 13, 2005.
"Mr. DeLay would not be the first politician to put relatives on the payroll. The payments may be legal, but they fail the smell test. In the words of critics, the majority leader has been running an operation best dubbed as 'DeLay Inc.' [...]
"The center of all this notoriety denies wrongdoing and says criticism of his ties to lobbyists and his trips is an attack on the conservative movement, 'a huge, nationwide, concerted effort to destroy everything we believe in.'
"A vast left-wing conspiracy, perhaps? Is that why some conservatives and fellow Republicans such as Mr. Shays are also criticizing his conduct?
"Like some House leaders before him, Mr. DeLay has grown recklessly audacious as he has accumulated power. His trips, ties to lobbyists and payments to relatives were bound to be scrutinized. He is becoming a liability to his party. Reps. Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson of Connecticut should join their colleague Mr. Shays in demanding that the majority leader step down."
GOP should drop DeLay as speaker, Editorial, LINCOLN (NE) JOURNAL STAR, Apr. 12, 2005.
"It been heartening the past few days to hear a few Republicans finally voicing public criticism of Rep. Tom DeLay. More should join the chorus. It's time for Republicans to renounce his leadership and choose a more principled and temperate representative as House Majority Leader."
No more delay, Editorial, THE COURIER-JOURNAL (Louisville, KY), Apr. 12, 2005.
"[T]he House majority leader is a frighteningly toxic and corrupt presence in American public life. He is also authoritarian and vengeful.
"In the current one-party rule that prevails in Washington, only his fellow Republicans can take him down.
"That will take guts in some cases, however, and little of that is on display.
"As charges of ethical violations have mounted -- ranging from partisan misuse of government agencies, to improper relationships with lobbyists, to overseas junkets at the expense of foreign interests -- it has become clear that Rep. DeLay is the poster boy of political sleaze."
Jim Wright redux, Editorial, THE NEWS LEADER (Staunton, VA), Apr. 12, 2005.
"DeLay has surrounded himself with questions that lack answers. While he may have managed to avoid touching the third rail of corruption with his own hand, the tracks are littered with the bodies of those who were willing to touch it for him. Guilt by association may not be the same thing as 'guilty,' but it's close enough if you're a Congressman."
DeLay definitely detriment to party, Editorial, MONTGOMERY (AL) ADVERTISER, Apr. 12, 2005.
"The honorable response to documented charges of unethical conduct in public office is to change the conduct, not to change the rules to try to get around the conduct and the proper inquiries it has generated. But Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, chose the latter approach and in so doing has become an even greater liability for his party.
"DeLay, the ultimate partisan, invariably seeks to blame his troubles on liberals out to bring him down. However, it is clear that DeLay's troubles do not all come from the left. Fellow Republicans are, albeit belatedly, questioning his conduct and his heavy-handed addressing of it."
Derail DeLay, Editorial, THE RECORD (Bergen, NJ), Apr. 12, 2005.
"Mr. DeLay doesn't like to be criticized. The Republican chairman of the ethics committee and Republican members who voted to rebuke him were replaced. And Republican leaders also changed a House rule so Mr. DeLay could remain majority leader even if indicted in Texas - after three of his associates were indicted for illegal contributions. The rule change was later reversed, after a public outcry over such preferential treatment.
"It's always easier to pretend everyone is out to get you than to admit your problems are your own fault. But Mr. DeLay may be forced to do some soul-searching now that his own party is having second thoughts. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a leading conservative, said Sunday that Mr. DeLay has some explaining to do."
DeLay should face investigation, Editorial, WISC. STATE JOURNAL, Apr. 11, 2005.
"Last month House Majority Leader Tom DeLay volunteered to appear before the House Ethics Committee to answer accusations that some of his overseas travel was paid for by lobbyists and foreign interests in violation of rules. The House should have taken him up on the offer. Now that further ethical questions have surfaced involving $500,000 paid to DeLay's wife and daughter for work on his campaigns, the House should make an ethics investigation of DeLay a top priority.
"DeLay, R-Texas, may turn out to be the victim of a partisan attack, as he alleges. But the evidence that has surfaced so far warrants a full examination. Wisconsin's House delegation should help make it happen."
Mr. DeLay's tipping point, Editorial, BALT. SUN, Apr. 10, 2005.
"[DeLay] just can't seem to figure out, though, how to put to rest the flurry of ethics allegations now being hurled at him on almost a daily basis. He tried dismantling the House Ethics Committee, changing the subject to Terri Schiavo and launching an offensive against the federal judiciary. Yet the attacks against him have only intensified. He's fallen back on the familiar tactic of blaming the Democrats and liberal media, but that won't make the spotlight on him go away. [...]
"Mr. DeLay's Republican colleagues are reluctant to criticize him; most are deeply in his debt. He helped get many of them elected, and for years as House Whip tended to many of their personal needs in such housekeeping matters as office space and scheduling.
"Yet he has developed the same arrogant, out-of-touch attitude that helped cost the Democrats control of Congress in 1994. If Mr. DeLay doesn't recognize what a liability he's become and step aside before he critically wounds his party, his Republican colleagues should give him a shove."
Payments warrant scrutiny for Tom DeLay and ethics rules, Editorial, K.C. STAR, Apr. 8, 2005.
"The everyone-does-it line seldom plays well with the public. Nor, in this case, is it true.
"Not everyone in Congress pays his wife and daughter half a million dollars. Not everyone has been admonished more than once by the House Ethics Committee. To take another example where DeLay has recently come under fire, not everyone on Capitol Hill faces serious questions about the funding of his international travel.
"The large amount of money flowing to DeLay's family raises ethical questions that need to be carefully reviewed by lawmakers in both parties. If current rules allow such arrangements, Congress needs to take a hard look at the rules."
The Passion of the Tom, Maureen Dowd, Opinion, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. 7, 2005. (Registration required)
"[T]here's some skittishness in the party leadership about the Passion of the Tom, the fiery battle of the born-again Texan to show that he's being persecuted on ethics by a vast left-wing conspiracy. Some Republicans are wondering whether they need to pull a Trent Lott on Tom DeLay before he turns into Newt Gingrich, who led his party to the promised land but then had to be discarded when he became the petulant 'definer' and 'arouser' of civilization. Do they want Mr. DeLay careering around in Queeg style as they go into 2006? [...]
"Mr. DeLay lashed out at the latest article questioning his ethics, calling it 'just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me.' Philip Shenon reported in The Times that Mr. DeLay's wife and daughter have been paid more than half a million dollars since 2001 by the DeLay political action and campaign committees."
The Capitol bullies, Editorial, DES MOINES REGISTER, Apr. 5, 2005.
"If a bunch of street thugs try to intimidate judges, it's criminal conduct of the worst sort because it undermines the rule of law.
"If a bunch of congressmen try to intimidate judges, well, that's just politics as practiced by Iowa's own Steve King and cohort Tom DeLay of Texas.
"After the death of Terri Schiavo, King and DeLay issued veiled threats of retaliation against federal judges who didn't rule the way the congressmen wanted them to."
DeLay should look in a mirror before calling anyone arrogant, Editorial, THE MODESTO (CA) BEE, Apr. 5, 2005.
"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, last week declared war on one branch of the government, condemning what he called 'an arrogant, out of control, unaccountable judiciary that thumbed their nose at the Congress and the president.'
"We would argue that the problem really stems from arrogant and out-of-control members of Congress, notably DeLay. [...]
"American freedoms depend on the separation of powers. DeLay and others in Congress have made a mockery of that principle."
Shame on Tom DeLay, Editorial, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM (TX), Apr. 3, 2005. (Registration required) (Common Blog entry)
"Some day, Tom DeLay will be called to account by the American people.
"Sooner would be better than later for the sake of the Constitution. [...]
"For DeLay -- censured three times by the House ethics committee and under grand jury investigation in Austin -- to challenge the propriety with which a succession of judges performed the largely thankless task of weighing last-minute appeals from Schiavo's parents could be laughable.
"If it weren't so disturbing."
DeLay's Troubles: GOP must decide where it stands, Editorial, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Apr. 2, 2005. (Registration required)
"Once upon a time, Tom DeLay helped lead an insurrection that toppled a Democratic House regime grown fat and happy with power. What a difference a decade in power makes. Somehow, we doubt the Democrats will miss the opportunity to remind voters come 2006.
"House Republicans should be asking themselves whether they really want to stake their careers defending the folly of a politician who, despite all he has done for the Republican cause, has forgotten where he came from."
DeLay, others haven't locked courthouse doors - yet, Clay Robison, Opinion, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Apr. 2, 2005. (Common Blog entry)
"Although Tom DeLay portrays a believable Third World dictator, it is time that he stopped trying to transform the United States into his own ideological fiefdom.
"And it is time for him to stop sputtering ill-tempered threats, not only at the judiciary but also at the U.S. Constitution, which he repeatedly has sworn an oath to uphold."
DeLay needs a civics lesson, Editorial, THE DENVER POST, Apr. 2, 2005. (Common Blog entry)
"But after his side lost at every level of the state and federal judiciary, right up to and including the U.S. Supreme Court, DeLay threatened to punish the judges who had decided the case. [...]
"Exactly what punishment DeLay plans to mete out to the judges who did their duty under the Constitution isn't clear, though some of his fellow fulminators have laughingly suggested impeachment. Before such a spectacle occurs, however, we hope one of America's thousands of dedicated high-school civics teachers will take DeLay aside and explain to him what the words 'the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact' means. [...]
"The more we see of Tom DeLay, the more we rever the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the other founders."
Legacy of the Schiavo Case, Editorial, THE LEDGER (Lakeland, FL), Apr. 1, 2005.
"The politician who came out looking the worst was DeLay, the U.S. House majority leader from Texas, who used the Schiavo case to reinforce his own political standing with supporters of Terri Schiavo's parents at a time when his ethics are under harsh scrutiny. After her death was announced Thursday, DeLay issued a statement that seemed to vow revenge against the many judges involved in the case -- including the U.S. Supreme Court: 'The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today.'
"DeLay is a disgrace to his party and to the Congress. If he doesn't resign his leadership position, members of the House Republican caucus should remove him."
Ethics, shmethics: It's shameful: To protect DeLay, GOP disables official conduct committee, Editorial, NEWSDAY, Mar. 29, 2005.
"In a deplorable attempt to keep House ethics watchdogs off the case of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), their ethically-challenged majority leader, Republicans have unceremoniously dumped committee members judged insufficiently loyal and changed the rules of engagement. In the process, any honest attempt at ethics enforcement has been abandoned. [...]
"The Orwellian result? The ethics committee has become the place where valid ethics complaints go to die."
Rep. Tom DeLay has emerged, ironically, as the epitome of big government, Editorial, THE MORNING CALL (Allentown, PA), Mar. 29, 2005.
"The epitome of his efforts to shift the blame occurred last week as Congress intervened in the Terri Schiavo case. [...] ''This is exactly the issue that is going on in America,' [DeLay] said, ''of attacks against the conservative movement, against me and against many others.' But the Schiavo case has nothing to do with Rep. DeLay's ethical lapses, including three junkets. [...]
"We still believe the unrepentant, arrogant majority leader should step down."
Smells Like Beltway: The real reason Tom DeLay is in political trouble, Editorial, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Mar. 28, 2005. (Common Blog entry)
"The Beltway wisdom is right. Mr. DeLay does have odor issues. Increasingly, he smells just like the Beltway itself."
Tom DeLay's Cri de Coeur, Editorial, N. Y. TIMES, Mar. 25, 2005. (Common Blog entry)
"Here is some badly needed comic relief from Congress: The House ethics committee, now that it has been rendered impotent by the Republican leadership, is plumping for a 50 percent increase in financing to see to such vital needs as writing a new ethics manual to educate lawmakers. ('J is for Junket, so naughty and nice.') [...]
"Any new money for the ethics panel will be wasted unless Republican members, wary of being yoked to Mr. DeLay, demand that the rules be stiffened to gain some ethical credibility in the House."
A new vast consipracy? Editorial, ANNISTON STAR (AL), Mar. 25, 2005.
"Portrait of a paranoid person in freefall: 'I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, one thing God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo to elevate the visibility of what’s going on in America.' [...]
"Who said this? In whose mind does such paranoia lurk? In what backwater do such conspiratorial rantings echo? Who would use the tragic case of a Florida woman for his own political gain?"
Tom DeLay's Scandal: Ethically challenged leader shouldn't hide behind God, Editorial, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, Mar. 25, 2005, at A14.
"Tom DeLay says he wants Terri Schiavo to live. And there is no reason to doubt that.
"But it is clear that the House majority leader is not above using the suffering of a women he has never met to promote his own, increasingly shaky, political career.
"The Texas Republican has gone so far as to suggest that Schiavo's situation is a gift from God that he can use to defend himself against charges brought by his political enemies -- enemies whom he all but calls, in an echo of a defensive Hillary Clinton some years ago, a vast left-wing conspiracy."
Delay, Still More Allegations, Editorial, CHARLESTON (WV) Gazette, Mar. 25, 2005, at 4A. (Registration required.)
"[Tom DeLay] underwent an emotional conversion, got elected to Congress, became House majority leader, and is known as 'the Hammer' for driving conservative legislation desired by the religious right, gun groups, industries, etc.
"He also is renowned for collecting large sums from special-interest groups and funneling it to Republican candidates. [...]
"The Texas congressman has declared that he is impelled by 'a biblical worldview that says God is our creator, that man is a sinner.' Maybe ongoing Washington investigations will make it clear that the latter phrase applies to DeLay."
Showing his meddle: DeLay uses a tragedy as a smoke screen, Editorial, SACRAMENTO BEE, Mar. 25, 2005, at B6. (Registration required.)
"House Republican leader Tom DeLay was desperate for a diversionary maneuver. His multiple ethics lapses were the buzz of Washington. Democratic Party operatives were circling him like a pack of dogs. Members of his own party were openly nervous.
"Then, according to DeLay, divine intervention came in the form of Terri Schiavo. The incapacitated Florida woman provided DeLay with the opportunity to shift the public's attention. [...]
"DeLay is a growing liability to the Republican Party. The House Ethics Committee has admonished him three times for improprieties. He faces a grand jury investigation in Texas, and now has shamelessly exploited Schiavo's situation. He has an incredible bag of tricks. Apparently, it doesn't include amazing grace."
GOP shouldn't delay in replacing DeLay, Editorial, AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN, Mar. 25, 2005, at A10. (Registration required) (Common blog entry)
"DeLay brought this on himself. His scorched-earth partisanship, coziness with lobbyists and flippant attitude toward House ethics rules made him a vulnerable target."
"Republicans would be wise to get themselves another majority leader before more damage is done."
Ethically challenged: House GOP risks being tainted by DeLay, Editorial, REGISTER-GUARD (Eugene, OR), Mar. 21, 2005.
"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, says he's shocked - simply shocked - by allegations that he illegally allowed gambling lobby interests to bankroll a golfing jaunt to Scotland.
"DeLay says he's so appalled that he's willing to go before the House ethics committee to explain his actions. That's not surprising, since the panel has been rendered impotent by Speaker Dennis Hastert and other DeLay loyalists."
Ethical Aspirations, Editorial, ROLL CALL, Mar. 21, 2005. (Paid subscription required.)
"It strikes us as highly incongruous that the chairman of the House ethics committee would be vowing to create an "ethical culture" in the House - and that his ranking Democrat would support him - at a time when the House is roiled with accusations that its ethical climate has reached new lows, and when Democrats are refusing to let the committee do business because of it."
House Republicans damage their integrity in protecting DeLay, Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts, Opinion, SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE (W. Covina, CA), Mar. 19, 2005.
"Delay has survived this long because he is a shrewd and ruthless politician. He performs lots of favors and raises lots of money for his colleagues. Many credit him with expanding their majority in the House. And they fear his wrath if they step out of line.
"But by protecting their leader and ignoring his sins, House Republicans are damaging their integrity and diminishing their institution. The Hammer should be held accountable for his actions. As Gingrich warned, Republicans who look the other way are playing a dangerous game."
DeLay in clover - for now, Editorial, DENVER POST, Mar. 19, 2005.
"Now that Republicans have changed the rules of the House Ethics Committee and added friendly faces to the panel, Texas congressman Tom DeLay says he's eager to answer its questions.
"Isn't that convenient? [...]
"DeLay is becoming a major distraction to the Republicans' legislative agenda. How long will it be before they realize that DeLay, a political enforcer so powerful he's nicknamed The Hammer, isn't worth the ethical stain on GOP integrity?"
DeLay ignored history, Dan K. Thomasson, Editorial, CINCINNATI POST, Mar. 18, 2005.
"There are any number of cliches that fit House Republican leader Tom DeLay these days. Perhaps the most appropriate is the warning about what might befall one who lives by the sword."
Ethics II: Don't stall in U. S. House, Editorial, SEATTLE TIMES, Mar. 18, 2005.
"Congressman Doc Hastings' new job will test his mettle and his renowned strategy of party fealty.
"The Pasco Republican is the new chairman of the House ethics committee, burdened by cynical rule changes authored by GOP leadership. [...]
"As chairman, Hastings not only has the opportunity, but the duty, to broker a solution between Democratic and GOP leadership. His success could help validate his career strategy of hanging close to leadership and diffuse the cynicism that surrounds the recent GOP machinations around the committee."
Warning: Ethics-Free Zone, Editorial, WASH. POST, Mar. 14, 2005, at A18.
"This may not sound like news, but the House of Representatives is now an ethics-free zone. To be precise, it has no mechanism for investigating or disciplining members who violate ethics rules. The proximate cause of this breakdown is the revolt by the five Democrats on the evenly divided ethics committee. Led by the ranking Democrat, Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (W.Va.), committee Democrats understandably balked last week at acceding to new rules for how the panel should conduct its business -- rules dictated by the GOP leadership and slanted toward making the ethics process, already tilted in favor of gridlock, even more feckless. [...]
"Republicans are now trying, laughably, to portray the impasse as the result of Democrats' refusal to 'put the ethics process above partisan politics,' as a spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) put it. Democrats have no lack of partisanship on this issue, but the GOP spin is hard to take from the people who rigged the rules and changed the players when they didn't like the result. Mr. Mollohan now has a single Republican, Rep. Christopher Shays (Conn.), co-sponsoring his resolution. We would hope that -- especially in light of new ethical questions involving Mr. DeLay -- additional members of the majority will sign on, putting the long-term good of the institution ahead of the short-term interests of those with the greatest stake in an ineffectual ethics process."
What? Ethics? Editorial, KEENE SENTINEL (NH), Mar. 09, 2005. (Paid access only)
"For a good many years, when the Democrats controlled the House, Republicans had a fine time pillorying House Speaker Thomas P. 'Tip' O'Neill as an embodiement of the worst excesses of liberal politics. Under no circumstances do we - or would we - consider Tom DeLay an embodiment of Republican virture; his misbehavior simply brings too much discomfort to some of his party colleagues. The wonder of it is why they keep him in office."