Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

I'm a little slow these days on postings, but here are some jewels I found:

Some excerpts from the Time interview:

Asked if he had done anything illegal or unethical in public office, DeLay replied curtly, "No." Asked if he'd done anything immoral, he said with a laugh, "We're all sinners." Asked what he would do differently, he said, "Nothing."  

Some people never learn.

And this:

I have learned how to make major decisions. I think the real major decision I had to make like this was whether to run for Speaker or not, when Newt (Gingrich) stepped aside. '98, wasn't it? It was quite obvious that's not what I was supposed to be doing, and I felt very good about it. There's many reasons why I shouldn't have been Speaker. Not to sound arrogant, but I could have walked in, and I could have been Speaker. But at the time, we had foster kids.  .  .  .  I'd just been the main guy who (chuckles) impeached Bill Clinton and all that other stuff.

Here's one of my favorites:

When I was elected to Congress, I was a self-centered jerk.

As for his plans for the future:

The people that go to church understand that a country has to be based on some sort of religion and fear of God because they understand that.

(Notice--not love of God, fear of God.)

And here's all Bush managed to contribute in his discussion with DeLay on Monday:

At the White House, U.S. President (George W.) Bush said DeLay's announcement "had to have been a very difficult decision for someone who loved representing his district in the state of Texas. I wish him all the very best and I know he's looking to the future."

Asked if it would hurt the Republican party, Bush said: "My own judgment is that our party will continue to succeed because we're the party of ideas."

Party of ideas?  Umm, corruption, greed, lying, hiding, cowardice, denials, mismanagement, incompetence, . . . well, I guess a feller could get some ideas from that.

Here's what you won't hear him say:

DeLay has assembled a substantial legal team to fight back, and he has a defense fund -- financed largely by corporations with business before Congress -- that contained more than $600,000 at the end of last year, based on the cumulative record of its receipts and contributions. But contributions to the fund dropped from $318,000 to $181,500 between the third and fourth quarters of 2005.

DeLay also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of the remaining funds from his reelection campaign to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.

And so it goes.

Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle. FDR