Meh. I was, at best, a lukewarm defender; it was more that I hated Ronnie Earle’s prosecutorial misconduct than liked DeLay. Because I didn’t. I’ve disliked him since he got neck-deep into screwing over Metro for about three years; I consider him one of the main reasons that the train is an inner-city boondoggle instead of a commuter rail line like we need. Or does anyone else remember how DeLay blocked federal funding for years in order to prevent Metro from running a line out to his Missouri City base?
Anyway, when I saw that one of his aides had pled guilty, I figured, “Well, maybe there’s some fire behind Ronnie’s smoke after all.” (Remember, those are the trumped-up state charges that I still expect him to beat because they’re essentially ex post facto; it’s the fed charges that nailed his aides.) Evidently, the Feds had a whole lot more on him, and his buddy may roll over and testify against him for a lighter sentence.
See ya later. Ain’t gonna miss ya, Tommy boy.
I’ve disliked DeLay pretty much as long as I’ve known about him. Really his utter, unthinking opposition to any sort of transit plans (other than ‘same as we’ve got now’) irritated me quite a lot. That, and he was a serious porker. Good riddance.
Evidently, the Feds had a whole lot more on him, and his buddy may roll over and testify against him for a lighter sentence.
Actually, I don’t know that it’s that evident.
The bigger point is that it doesn’t matter politically whether it is or not.
The political problem here is perception, and it’s just one more negative perception that could very well extend past November. The DeLay camp has concluded — rightly I think — that the amount of negative perception simply can’t be overcome by election day. That is to say, the legal matters may well drag on past that. Even if they believe they will prevail on the legal merits, the inability to do so before November hurts their political chances. Thus, stepping down isn’t a legal or moral concession, but a political one — rather than risk losing what should be a safe Republican seat, better to step aside for another conservative.
If it’s a “conservative” of the same sort he is, no difference. We need a *fiscal* conservative committed to supporting defense of our borders. If I were the Libertarian candidate for that post, I’d be shaking the piggy bank for loose change to help get such a message out.
As for this, I don’t know whether to cheer it or damn it. Last time got us 8 years of Slick Willie, this time will likely get us his wife. h/t to Instapundit.