DeLay Out to Undo Checks and Balances
In case there's any lingering doubt as to his intent, there's this old news item, from the aftermath of the Terry Schiavo media circus, which contains the following quote:
"We've got jurisdiction over the courts. We set up the courts, and we can unset the courts,"
Sometimes I think a high-school civics course would be a good pre-req for Congressional office..
"We've got jurisdiction over the courts. We set up the courts, and we can unset the courts,"
Sometimes I think a high-school civics course would be a good pre-req for Congressional office..
posted by Management at 12:59 PM
1 Comments:
DeLay apologizes for rhetoric in Schiavo case
By Kathy Kiely and Jim Drinkard, USA TODAYThu Apr 14, 7:04 AM ET
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay apologized Wednesday for an "inartful" remark about judges after Terri Schiavo's death. But he refused to comment on ethics allegations against him.
DeLay met with reporters after a barrage of negative news stories that caused several prominent Republicans, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, to urge DeLay to answer his accusers. The Texas Republican said he would answer questions only about the legislative agenda.
DeLay did express regret for saying, after the death of Schiavo, that the judges who refused to reinsert the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube would one day "answer for their behavior."
Democrats have criticized DeLay's remark, which Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., said could incite violence against judges.
"I said something in an inartful way. I am sorry I said it that way," DeLay said.
He said he favors an independent judiciary but made it plain that he does not intend to give up congressional efforts to rein in "activist" judges.
"We've got jurisdiction over the courts. We set up the courts, and we can unset the courts," DeLay said. "We have the power of the purse."
DeLay said he would answer questions about privately financed trips that may have been paid for by lobbyists - which would be a violation of House rules - only before the House ethics committee. But that panel has been unable to do business this year. Democrats are protesting a proposed rule change backed by Republicans that it would make it harder for the panel to investigate members. The panel remained deadlocked Wednesday after an afternoon meeting.
"If they choose not to organize, then it's obvious they don't want me to appear, and the reason for that has got to be political," DeLay said.
But on CBS-TV Wednesday, Gingrich disagreed. "DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats," he said. "DeLay's problem is with the country."
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid accused DeLay of engineering the change in House ethics rules "to protect himself." The rules change requires a majority vote on the ethics committee to launch an investigation. The committee is the only House panel that has equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, and prior to this year, a tie vote was enough to open an investigation.
DeLay has been admonished or warned by the committee five times, more than any other sitting member of Congress.
Republicans launched an effort to deflect the negative publicity about DeLay, a key strategist who helped build the GOP House majority. White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that President Bush has confidence in DeLay. GOP lawmakers accused Democrats of focusing more on scandal-mongering than legislation. "This is purely the Democrats' effort to distract because they don't have a message. They don't have an agenda," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said.
The ethics committee impasse was a topic at a meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday morning. Afterward, several participants expressed a desire to see the matter resolved soon. "We need to find ways to work things out," said Rep. Christopher Shays (news, bio, voting record), R-Conn., who criticized DeLay for dragging Republicans into a public-relations morass. "It needs to be bipartisan."
The chairman of the Republican congressional campaign committee, Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., also said the ethics panel needs to get going. "Every other committee is up and running," he said. But Reynolds, a DeLay ally, accused Democrats of prolonging the impasse so they could continue to make DeLay an issue.
Adding fuel to the partisan feud, the Republican National Committee released a list of news reports from recent years suggesting that Democrats had engaged in ethically questionable behavior, including taking foreign trips that were paid for by lobbyists.
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