'After many weeks of personal, prayerful thinking and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close this public service chapter of my life,' DeLay, a member of President George W. Bush's Republican Party, told his constituents in an announcement that will ripple through the country.
DeLay, nicknamed 'The Hammer,' was feared and revered by members of both parties for his ability to get things done by rewarding supporters and twisting the arms of opponents. DeLay, 59, served as House Majority Leader until he stepped down from that post earlier this year after being indicted on campaign finance charges.
President Bush relied on DeLay to accomplish his agenda in Congress and the lawmaker delivered time and time again, helping pass tax cuts, an expansion of the federal health insurance programme for the elderly and keeping Republicans in line on controversial issues.
DeLay informed Bush of his decision Monday, and the president said Tuesday that stepping down 'had to be a very difficult decision' for the lawmaker. But Bush also said that he expects that his party 'will continue to succeed.'
DeLay, a 21-year veteran of Congress was known as a master fundraiser, accomplishing his goals and pushing through the Republican agenda, even if that meant bending rules to the point of breaking - and sometimes beyond, his critics say.
The House's ethics panel admonished DeLay three times in 2004: for his role in an energy company golf fundraiser; for using resources of the Federal Aviation Administration to get involved in a partisan battle in his home state of Texas; and for offering to endorse the candidacy of another lawmaker's son in exchange for a vote on a crucial issue.
At the time, the panel said: 'In view of the number of instances to date in which the committee has found it necessary to comment on conduct in which you have engaged, it is clearly necessary for you to temper your future actions to assure that you are in full compliance at all times with the applicable House Rules and standards of conduct.'
In 1999, the same panel rebuked The Hammer because he threatened a trade group that was planning a lobbyists with ties to the minority Democrats.
But DeLay was never punished and said Tuesday that he does not fear any investigation. Two top members of his staff have pleaded guilty in a federal corruption probe of lawmakers and their aides.
Democrats have painted DeLay as the poster child for what is wrong with a Republican-led Congress, claiming that more than a decade in charge has made them drunk with power and created a 'culture of corruption.'
The minority party hopes to recapture control of the House in congressional elections in November. DeLay's seat was one of the main targets, but his retirement might actually make it more difficult to win the district.
But in a recent interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, DeLay said he was certain that Republicans would stay in power and that the American people do not care about the Democrats' arguments that there is a culture of corruption in Washington.
'The Democrats have nothing,' DeLay told dpa.
The lawmaker said in his resignation announcement that he would not allow the Democrats to 'steal this seat.' He acknowledged that it would be expensive and difficult to win re-election and therefore, rather than being defeated in November, decided to end his political career on his own terms.
© 2003 - 2006 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.
Arts - Books - DVD - Forums - Home - Movies - Music - People & Celebrity - Science - Soundtracks - Sport - Tech - TV - World News
About Us - The Team - Advertise - Contact - Join the Team - Privacy - RSS Feeds - Site Map - Terms & Conditions - Webmasters
Servers supplied by Servint
