Less than 2 weeks ago, Tom DeLay said there was no more room for
cuts in the budget. This brought howls from the right -
particularly on talk radio. Today, faced with a partisan
investigation that led to an incredibly weak grand jury indictment,
DeLay may be wishing he had held his tongue on the inability to
make further budget cuts. He'll need the conservative base to rally
to him. Telling the base there's no more room for cuts may keep
some mum.
Having lived through a little turmoil in the House
(Gingrich/Livingston1998), I would say DeLay's decision to step
down pending the outcome of the investigation has the scent of
political death about it. DeLay, more than most, deserves a
vigorous defense from the right. But that's just not the way the
Republican party works -- just ask Trent Lott. Internal power
struggles will take some toll on DeLay's ability to maintain enough
loyalty in the caucus for a return to the Leader's post
when he beats the rap.
But more damaging will be the realization by House Republicans
that Tom DeLay, though a fantastic leader, is not irreplaceable. In
fact, they may well decide that the distraction of his return to
power during an election cycle is not worth it.
Politics, being the ultimate "what have you done for me lately"
game, favors the guy in power. Right now, that guy is one David
Dreier. Roy Blunt is hovering, as is John Boehner. Long, drawn-out
public corruption investigations -- even baseless ones such as this
-- don't favor the target. Stay tuned.
topics:
John Boehner, Oil
