Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Poor Tom DeLay (whose name translates roughly from the French "to stall") - he has given up his fight against relinquishing his post as House majority leader. He said he reversed course because "time was the enemy" and he concluded the party needed new leadership to allow it to pursue its election-year agenda. Apparently Tom also ignored his true enemy: reality.
Under indictment on campaign finance charges in his home state of Texas, DeLay is also waiting (patiently, one hopes) for the other shoe to fall in the Jack Abramoff plea bargain. In his confession, court papers said the wife of a former aide to the Texan had received $50,000 from Abramoff as part of an attempt to influence the outcome of legislation. Maybe time really is the enemy here. If the wheels of justice spin slowly enough, maybe all of this corruption won't see the light of day until after the next round of elections.
Or maybe not. In the meantime, let's take a look at the fellows who want to take Tom's place while all this unpleasantness passes: Roy Blunt, 55, is in his fifth term representing a district covering Southwest Missouri. He owes his presence in leadership to DeLay, who made Blunt chief deputy whip in 1999. Besides kittens and walks on the beach, this conservative Republican also enjoys an opposition to abortion, support for tax cuts and approval for the landmark Medicare legislation that passed during President Bush' s first term. The other leading candidate is John Boehner, 56, who also has a political organization attuned to the needs of fellow Republicans. Unlike Blunt, he came to Congress while Democrats held control. He joined the Gang of Seven, a group of energetic young lawmakers eager to draw attention to and a scandal involving the House bank and Democrats. Oh good - somebody who is no stranger to scandal!
Still, we're all going to miss Tom and his wit and wisdom: "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –Tom Delay, to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9 2005