DeLay gets Desperate

Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay is suddenly realizing he's in trouble in his race for re-election in Texas' 22nd District. The Houston Chronicle has endorsed his opponent, Richard Morrison, as has the Brazoria Facts, another district paper.

Meanwhile, Delay's ethical problems continue to haunt him. The Austin American-Statesman reports:

"A Travis County grand jury on Tuesday indicted three top lieutenants of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in connection with corporate money raised during the 2002 elections.

Indicted on one count of money laundering were John Colyandro, the executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee, and Jim Ellis, a former DeLay staff member now head of Americans for a Republican Majority, DeLay's national fund-raising political action committee.

Colyandro also was indicted on 14 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution.

Warren Robold, DeLay's corporate fund-raiser, based in Washington, D.C., was indicted on 18 counts; nine of unlawful political contribution by a corporation and nine of accepting those contributions.

The money-laundering counts are first-degree felonies, punishable by up to life in prison; the rest are third-degree felonies, with a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Seven corporate donors and an alliance of nursing-home companies also were indicted."

DeLay's defense attorney reacted strongly, saying, "All these people felt comfortable they were not violating the laws," he said. "We don't believe anyone intentionally violated the law." Wait, that's not strong. That's pretty weak actually.

In the face of all this, DeLay is getting desperate. In a move bordering on libel, he lashed out at some of the groups opposing his re-election:

Morrison also has taken money and is working with the Daily Kos, which is an organization that raises money for fighters against the U.S. in Iraq.

The Daily Kos may be a partisan democratic group, but I have no idea where DeLay gets the idea that it is raising money for the insurgency. Unless, of course, raising money for Democrats is the same thing as supporting our enemies, which is allegation that the ethically bankrupt DeLay has made in the past.

Those of you who know me, or read this blog, know I dislike George W. Bush. But that dislike compares to the absolute antipathy I feel towards Rep. DeLay. The man is a cancer on Washington, a physical manifestation of all that is evil and wrong in American politics. He knows no principles, only power. He has no ethics, only limits. He can and must be taken out of office, if only so that his shameful presence does not embarrass the House of Representatives any longer. If he went to prison too, well, that would just be an added bonus.