DeLay to officially resign on June 9

It's official: Tom DeLay has an exit plan for himself.

Rep. Tom DeLay, the once-powerful majority leader whose career was undermined by scandal, said today that he would resign from the House on June 9.

"As you are aware," the Texas Republican wrote House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., "I have recently made the decision to pursue new opportunities to engage in the important cultural and political battles of our day from an arena outside of the U.S. House of Representatives."

He told Hastert he would resign at the close of business on June 9.

Sweet. I happen to know that a big ol' group of Democrats and bloggers will be gathered together in a bar that very evening. I have a feeling a few beers may get raised in honor of this momentous occasion. Juanita has the full text of DeLay's letter for us all to revel in.

I suppose the only bad news is that it means this list is no longer operative. That's a price I can live with.

And now we can really start to focus on who will be the Chosen One. Take this with however big a grain of salt you want, since I run in Democratic circles and not Republican ones, but I've heard that State Rep. Robert Talton is going to be the choice. According to what I heard, County Judge Robert Eckels is saying he's got enough support from the Gang of Four to secure the nomination. This information is at least third-hand, and could very well be a bunch of hooey, but if I can't pass stuff like this along in a blog, then what's the point? Make of it what you will.

If it is Crazy Bob on the ballot, that means a replacement candidate for HD144 needs to be found as well. That would also give a boost to Janette Sexton in her quest for that seat. Talton, oddly enough, has good support among trial lawyers and organized labor in HD144. Getting him out of the way would make it easier for a Democrat to consolidate support. Whoever replaced him would also start out pretty far behind in the campaign.

But that's getting way ahead of things. What matters is that Tom DeLay's days are now not just numbered, but also denumerable. Start that clock ticking, and stock the fridge with beer. Party time is June 9.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 11, 2006 to Scandalized! | TrackBack