The American Spectator

br> — Caroline Miranda br> North Hollywood, California /p>

Gingrich, Armey, and DeLay were undoubtedly the best team of leaders that the GOP has come up with in the United States Congress in many decades. The fact of the matter is, however, that Tom DeLay was the doer of the trio. Gingrich was the idea man. Armey was the tactician plotting how to put the ideas in practice. Tom DeLay was the one that went into the trenches and got it done.

The Dems did their usual hatchet jobs on the three. They had to go because they were too darn effective. They found it easy to take Gingrich down. He didn’t seem to have the stomach for, and still doesn’t appear to have the stomach for, the bare knuckles brawling that was necessary to keep control, as Dems before and since have done so successfully. I can only guess that Armey simply tired of the fight and gave up his seat. Tom DeLay was another matter. He was quite willing to go mano e mano with the Dems, and he surely had a winning record in those no hold barred fights.

p>I don’t see any Tom DeLays in the GOP segment of the United States House today. The best that can be said about the current leadership is that they are not the worst in memory, but not far from it. It delights me to learn that Mr. DeLay is as active as you suggest in the current scene. We all need to get behind Tom’s efforts and see if we can inject some spinal rigidity in a few more of the House members. There is a good, but small, core group, but it needs to be expanded exponentially. br> — Ken Shreve /p>

In his article “A Majority Delayed”, Mr. Antle pictures Tom DeLay as someone trying to resurrect the Republican Party. More correctly, the Republican Parties current status as a “non” party.

The GOP doesn’t get it, and apparently neither does Tom DeLay. There are reasons the leftists currently controlling the Socialist Party are doing better than the Republicans in fund-raising and channeling those funds to candidates. One is the left has always been better organized than other entities. They achieve success by identifying those candidates who appeal to their philosophy, fund them, and push that agenda as a party platform. They have their set goals and keep to them.

The Republicans, on the other hand, don’t seem to have a definite agenda other than getting re-elected and hopefully — not losing ground. They repeatedly give us candidates who represent ideas that are anathema to the party base and present them as a “take it or leave it” proposition. For years, we’ve taken it. We’re not — most of us — taking it any more. We have closed our checkbooks, and we will keep them closed until we are heard — and the party responds.

The Republican Party will begin to get better funding when they divest themselves of the good ‘ole boy network and appoint principled men to positions of power within the party. The passing over of Jeff Flake is but one example of maintaining the old system instead of proving to the core of the party that they are serious about changing the guard. John Campbell and Dr. Tom Coburn are other examples of men with principles who should be elevated within the party structure. But no — we continue to foist off Arlen Specter and his ilk as party leaders.

p>Instead of supporting Tom Coburn in his (apparently one-man) campaign against irresponsible spending, they rail at him and vote against his bills. How many voices were raised in support of the corrupt Ted Stevens — yet Mr. Coburn is under attack by the left on ethics charges for delivering medical services for free, and he gets virtually no support from his Republican colleagues. Why? Because he has tried to reel in