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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jttmab who wrote (4180)	7/6/2001 2:50:23 PM
From: Patricia Trinchero	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Maybe Delay is mixed up!! Why he is starting to fit the Republican's description of a Democrat. Maybe he is getting ready to change parties! LOL ( tongue in cheek, of course )

To: jttmab who wrote (4180)	12/24/2001 12:57:06 AM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 93284

Majority Leader: What sort of public servant would choose Tom DeLay? Houston Chronicle Editorial Dec. 21, 2001, 6:02PM Even before House Majority Leader Dick Armey announced his intention to retire from Congress in January 2003, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay maneuvered to ensure he would be Armey's successor. DeLay already controls the Republican caucus in the House, so the switch will make little difference, but parting the curtain a little on the GOP's leadership charade reveals a great deal about the politicians who would pick DeLay for their leader. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Armey had been an effective GOP leader in the House. Lott could only have meant that Armey had not interfered with DeLay or the whip's control over House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is regarded as little more than DeLay's puppet. The indignity of having to play second fiddle to a nominally subordinate figure no doubt hastened Armey's retirement. DeLay, a Sugar Land resident, was once a member of the Texas House of Representatives known for championing the interests of small-business owners like himself. But somewhere along the way DeLay lost sight of the public interest and sought to wield power for its own sake. DeLay cannot claim to act on principle, for what principle would lead him to vote for rail transit funds for Dallas and other metropolises, but pass a law banning federal support for rail transit for the people of Houston? What but vindictiveness could induce him to treat his constituents and their neighbors in such manner? In opposing campaign finance reform, DeLay has often said that transparency and the light of day are the best defense against abuse. At the same time, DeLay grinningly superintends several secret political slush funds whose contributors (and the influence they buy) are hidden from public view. The right wing of the political spectrum is as entitled to representation as the center or left, but DeLay has become not so much a right-wing politician as a parody of one. At a time when the world is rent with religious hatred and strife, DeLay declares to reporters that he wants to place the national government at the beck and call of a single sect. His narrow view of the world leads him to reject the findings of the biological sciences that have made Houston's Texas Medical Center famous throughout the world and eased the pain and suffering of countless patients. Contrary to all the evidence, DeLay maintains that industries will clean the air and water without any prodding from government. Yet DeLay once introduced legislation that would have encouraged refiners to pollute to their heart's content. Industry lobbyists bragged of how DeLay had let them sit in his office while drafting the bill, refuting the claim that industry is eager to clean up its emissions if only left to its own devices. DeLay claims to be a strong conservative, but what conservative would be so opposed to conserving the nation's clean air and water? DeLay seems to relish acting contrary to the public interest just to show he can get away with it. Recently the Republican whip voted against President Bush's education bill, apparently rejecting the premise that the federal government should act to see that no American child is left behind in school or in life. No one has ever accused DeLay of being a compassionate conservative. Even when DeLay is right on an issue, as he was in opposing the federalization of airport security personnel, he squanders the moral and logical high ground by subordinating every issue, no matter how crucial to the nation, to his obsession with gaining partisan advantage. That, and his tin ear for mainstream sensibilities, kept him from prevailing. Some House Republicans share some of DeLay's views, but many more support him despite his politics. They either fear DeLay's mean retribution, such as he has visited on his constituents, or seek a share of his power regardless of the consequences to the public and the Republican Party. These, then, are the sort of public servants who would choose DeLay as their leader, reducing the venerable House speakership to the status of marionette. In the meantime, Houstonians must endure DeLay's tenure until he follows Armey into retirement, or until his constituents indicate they are ready to consider an alternative. chron.com