DeLay Is Out

This is old news by now, but I at least wanted to cover it a little here even though Drew has it pretty well covered. Tom DeLay has been indicted by a Texas D.A. and has therefore had to step down from his leadership position under the rules passed by the Republicans in the 90s. Before you pat them on the back you should keep in mind that a few months ago they were ready to get rid of the rules in order to keep DeLay in.

The more interesting part of the story for me is how quickly he was replaced by Roy Blunt of Missouri. Makes sense that they'd want leadership quickly, right? Well, the rumor on the internet is that David Dreier of California was actually in line for the spot, but got passed over. According to the rumor, DeLay didn't expect to be on the mat for long and didn't want someone in his seat that was going to be there that he couldn't get out later and Dreier fit that description. Why then would they go for Blunt, who carries a lot more weight in the party and probably isn't going to be pushed aside? Evidently, and this is so widely believed by people of multiple political stripes that I tend to believe it, Dreier is gay and has had a long term relationship with another man. There were other reasons listed, being pro-choice and from Southern California, but man even having homosexuality on that list sickens me. Seriously, that's just terrible.

"Ma, Ma--look what I did, Ma. Look what I did to my hands, I broke 'em. /You gave me the stone, gave me the chisel, didn't say how to hold 'em."