The Wonderful Tom DeLay

So, I was just reading an article on Time about Tom DeLay asking conservatives to defend him as they have Terry Schiavo. I'm tempted to make a quip about DeLay comparing himself to someone who is brain-dead, but I will hold back out of respect to Schiavo. The real point of his speech is that evil, insidious liberals are attempting to use any means necessary, be it the courts or character assassination, to destroy conservativism. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. This is the same DeLay that has been censured by a House ethics panel. And the same one being investigated for illegal fundraising and money laundering (3 of his associates had been indicted as of November 2004). And the same one that tried to get federal officials involved to bring Texas State House Democrats back from Oklahoma as they were boycotting a redistricting vote. Talk about using whatever means necessary for political ends.

The whole time article was rather a hoot, but I wanted to highlight a couple of interesting quotes. First, he says, "This is a critical issue for people in this position, and it is also a critical issue to fight that fight for life, whether it be euthanasia or abortion." So, if it's about the critical issue of the fight for life, where is the mention of capital punishment? But we don't care about them as much, because they were convicted of heinous crimes. That means they're evil and deserve to die. Well, this presupposes the faith that a conviction beyond "reasonable doubt" is tantamount to absolute truth. Need I even mention the names Sacco and Vanzetti? "No single account nor any ballistics test has been able to put all doubts about innocence or guilt completely to rest." Their innocence or guilt is irrelevant. They were executed. Killed. Dead. Where is that critical fight for life? Granted, this is only one case. But can you tell me that it is absolute truth that every single person on death row committed the crime that put them there? That there is absolutely no possibility of forged or missing evidence to the contrary? If so, then you, Mr. DeLay, can address the ethics of putting a person's life to an end when they pose no more threat to society. But you must still do so while emphasizing the sanctity of life.

He then goes on to state that, "the other side has figured out how to win and to defeat the conservative movement, and that is to go after people personally[...]" Because the Republicans have never done that. Do a search on Richard Clarke, Joseph Wilson, Paul O'Neill, Lawrence Lindsey, Gen. Anthony Zinni, Gen. Eric Shinseki, or Richard Foster.

A little further down the page, he talks vaguely about a law from the 60s that LBJ used to keep religious people out of politics (no clue what law he's talking about, probably one of many reinforcing the First Amendment). He says that law and the liberal fight for the separation of church and state "forces Christians back into the church." My reaction is that, if all Christians were like Mr. DeLay (which I know they're not), I would much rather force them back into their church than allow them into my bedroom and my hospital room. It's really a simple compromise. Let me make my own personal decisions about my life, and I will let you continue to spout off whatever you wish. I don't want you to believe what I believe. I just want to be free to follow my conscience, my brain, and my heart.

And the last quote, "We can do anything we need to do to pass any bill that we need to pass." Sounds a little ethically dubious to me. Now who's talking about doing anything necessary for political ends?

I must admit that, though I can't wait until DeLay gets his ass booted back to Texas, I will miss the easy opportunities to rip through his rhetoric.