(If this has already been posted, I'll delete -- I didn't see it, though).
This is getting interesting:
See the repugs.
See DeLay.
See the repugs see DeLay.
See the repugs see the mid-term elections approaching.
See repugs run from DeLay.
According to a Yahoo! news article,
Days after lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in courtrooms in two cities, a pair of GOP lawmakers circulated a petition calling for elections to pick a permanent replacement for DeLay. The Texas lawmaker temporarily relinquished his leadership post last year following indictment on campaign finance charges in his home state.
Separately, Rep. John Kline (news, bio, voting record), R-Minn., said there was no room in the leadership for DeLay.
(Emphasis added.)
Reminiscent of a scene from the Titanic: CHANGE COURSE!! CHANGE COURSE!! ICEBERG AHEAD!!!
Republican rules permit an election to fill the vacancy, and aides to Reps. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Charles Bass of New Hampshire said the two men were circulating a petition that would allow the rank-and-file to pick new leadership quickly.
If elections are held, Blunt is expected to run for the post. Rep. John Boehner (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, a former member of the leadership, is a likely rival, and there may be other candidates, as well.
DeLay has long insisted he is innocent of the charges in Texas, and has repeatedly accused the prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, of conducting a political vendetta. Fellow House Republicans have seemed willing to give the longtime lawmaker until the end of January to clear his name, deciding to allow Blunt to function as a caretaker until then.
But Abramoff's guilty pleas earlier this week seem to have changed the political environment.
"That has brought home the fact that we need not just new leaders but a course correction," Flake said.
It was too late for the Titanic. Could history repeat itself?
Happy New Year to all!! :)