Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
GOP Unity Stability Shaken	Choux	11/02/05
"Former House majority leader Tom DeLay's efforts to retain power despite his indictment have angered some rank-and-file Republicans, many of whom say his ethical problems and uncertain status are staining them and destabilizing GOP unity. Although he was forced to relinquish his leadership post Sept. 28, after the first of two indictments for alleged involvement in money laundering related to the 2002 Texas election, DeLay continues to use an office in the leadership suite, occasionally presides over private meetings with committee chairmen and lobbies members during key floor votes. Also, the Texas Republican's staff continues to maintain the House schedule and dash off memos to lawmakers, ostensibly as employees of a majority leader's office without a full-fledged majority leader. And on his trips to the sheriff's office for an Oct. 20 booking in Houston and a court appearance in Austin on Oct. 21, DeLay was accompanied by three bodyguards from the Capitol Hill police force, just as he was when he was majority leader. "My issue is having an indicted former leader hanging around the leadership offices," said one House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of DeLay's remaining authority. "This guy did so much good work getting us into the majority. Why does he want to stick around? He's not helping us." WashingtonPost on line Comments...
Answered By		Answered On
ETWolverine		11/03/05
I don't buy it. The Republican party is pretty strongly behind DeLay, and allowing him to retain some power and prestige is a way of showing that support. The fact that one or two Reps may have issues with it doesn't indicate a "destabilization of the party. And I like this particular sentence: "...said one House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of DeLay's remaining authority." If that isn't an attempt by the Washington Post to skew the article to a specific point of view, I don't know what is. Usually, press articles that quote an anonymous source don't opine on the REASON that the source wishes anonymity. The fact that it does here is a clear attempt to cast a bad light on DeLay. That is manipulative partisan reporting at its finest. Elliot

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