WASHINGTON - Even as Rep. Tom DeLay announced his departure from Congress last week, the former majority leader was doling out advice to fellow Republicans ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ and scolding them for lacking a unified political vision. His work behind the scenes showed that the onetime GOP giant from Sugar Land is unlikely to fade from public life, said political observers, who think the outspoken Texan won’t be content with playing private citizen.
It’ll be a great day when Tom DeLay shutters his Congressional office and rides off into the sunset. The question of the day seems to be what will happen to DeLay? He’s said that he’s moving to Virginia (they can have him), and one can only imagine the havoc he can wreak once he hooks up with like-minded Evangelical nutjobs like Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. The comedic value of this potential alliance ought to be through the roof.
The beautiful thing about DeLay being a civilian is that he will no longer have to worry about inconvenient things like morals or ethics. Freed from the prying eyes of the Washington press corps, DeLay will have the freedom to do pretty much whatever he damn well chooses. If he chooses to line his pockets while decrying the evils of the “War on Christianity”, he can. And he probably will. Hey, why serve in Congress is you can’t cash in on your connections when you’re done?
Indicating he will leave office before the summer, DeLay, 59, said he hopes to work with conservative groups and promote issues such as reforming the tax code and opposing ideological activism by judges.
“Right now, it’s my opinion that the conservative movement is leaderless and we need a strong leader to pull the movement together, and I want to go out there and try to do that,” DeLay told Time magazine.
Right; just what the Conservative movement needs: an intolerant zealot with a black hole where his ethical compass should be…unless, of course, Conservatives WANT to not have to worry about being taken seriously.
Aside from his annual congressional pension of nearly $67,000, DeLay could earn substantial income from speaking and consulting fees.
Somehow, I don’t think DeLay is going to have to worry about where his next Big Mac is coming from. More likely, he’ll have rich White Conservatives throwing money at his feet. Yes, it’s good to have friends, isn’t it?
Then again, there is the ugly specter of Ronnie Earle hanging over DeLay’s future….
However, DeLay’s ability to capitalize on his 21 years in Congress may be limited by his legal problems and his reputation as a polarizing figure, some experts said.
Also, his relationship with many congressional Republicans has been strained, with some party members trying to distance themselves from DeLay as he faces trial on campaign fundraising charges in Texas. In addition, two of his former aides have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the federal investigation of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, an inquiry that some lawmakers fear could implicate DeLay.
If there is any justice, DeLay won’t have to worry about any of this, because he’ll be sharing a prison cell with someone name “Butch”. Throughout his political career, though Tom DeLay has always managed to avoid paying the penalty for his ethical lapses. I doubt this time will be any different…though a man can dream, can’t he??
Who says crime doesn’t pay?
