DeLay Stepping Down as Majority Leader

Tom DeLay will not seek to regain his leadership position:

Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.

These officials said DeLay, R-Texas, was preparing a letter informing fellow House Republicans of his decision. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.

DeLay's defiant, take-no-prisoners style had won him the admiration and respect of fellow Republicans, but his mounting problems cast a shadow over the whole chamber.

I've always thought that DeLay was a great whip but not a good majority leader. Whether or not he's guilty of anything, he was wise to step down for the good of the party.

Ace, Stop the ACLU and the Political Teen have reaction from the right. AmericaBlog has lefty reaction including this:

What this move shows is that the damage to the Republican Party right now is significant. By shoving DeLay overboard, the Republicans clearly recognize that the "Culture of Corruption" language has the potential to topple their House majority. Democrats are you listening? You can win this one...

Wrong! The DeLay story has been out there for months and hasn't effected the Republicans as of yet. Politically, the DeLay indictment came out at entirely the wrong time for the Donks; so much other news was happening that the Delay story was at the bottom. If the indictments occurred today, it would have more of an impact.