Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees that there continues to be activity on the whole Tom DeLay/Ethics Investigation matter. To refresh your memory, you might want to re-read your Maximum Leader’s previous post on DeLay’s problems.

(NB: Your Maximum Leader started writing this post a few days ago, but with various other commitments is only now able to wrap it up today.)

Here are some old links for your review (with scoring and pithy commentary from your Maximum Leader):

Republicans have agreed to undo a recent rule change to which Democrats strenuously objected. Many comment that this reversal opens up the door for removing DeLay as now full investigations can begin.

DeLay 0, Democrats 1

But DeLay still seems to be strongly supported. (And supported publically by President Bush too.)

DeLay 1, Democrats 1

And, as your Maximum Leader noted earlier, the ethics charges against DeLay are not problems for DeLay only. Many Representatives in Congress could be brought up on exactly the same charges. Indeed, there are more issues being brought up every day concerning other members (and their staff). Nancy Pelosi (the Democratic Leader in the House) is being called on to answer questions about irregularities in some of her travel. And as we have all started to learn, Congressmen’s travel is often paid for by private groups. Indeed, in a a lenghty article in the Washington Post it seems as though a 1996 trip to the Northern Marianas islands is causing problems for DeLay, DeLay’s staff, as well as Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Push - Score Tied at 1-all.

So where is this getting us?

Well, itis setting up a rather interesting summer of Ethics Committee activity. Frankly, your Maximum Leader isn’t sure why the Republicans even bothered allowing the Ethics Committee to organize. It is, afterall, just another minor part of one branch of government ceasing to function. And, honestly people, is one committee getting no work done really affecting the ability of the House of Representatives from doing its business? Probably not. Indeed, most of the time Congressmen do there darnest to avoid doing the nation’s business by intervening in state matters or private affairs. So if one committee was up-front about not doing any business who would lose out?

What is the harm if the committee didn’t organize for a while? It all depends on the spin my minions. If the Republicans are as adept at spinning and message control as is widely alleged, then they could easily make it all out to be Democratic obstruction. (Which frankly it was.)

Anyho… Back to the summer of investigations. We’ll have a not so interesting summer of investigating Tom DeLay (and others it seems). Why this summer? Well, people are tuning out and going on vacation. News cycles seem less important overall.

Excursus: People tuning out is probably already upon us. Really it is true! To listen to the news the American people are concerned about two things. Thing Number One: Gas prices and what can be done to lower them. Thing Number Two: What is up with that woman from GA who ran away to Las Vegas to avoid getting married? Those are your major news items in the press. And what’s more, if you count the weekend, those two items have dominated headlines for SIX days. Six (6) days! That is insane. What makes it insane? There is very little the government can do about Number One. And there is absolutely nothing that anyone can do about Number Two.

So the House Ethics Committee will investigate DeLay. They will investigate others as well (your Maximum Leader can only hope they jump on Nancy Pelosi too). And in the end, after the dust settles and the blood seeps into the earth; Tom DeLay will have to step down as Republican Leader. Your Maximum Leader maintains that is the only outcome that can help the Democrats at all.

On the off chance that House Democrats change their tack and allow the DeLay investigation to go nowhere and DeLay retain his leadership post; it will spell the end for the Democrats in the House through the end of the Bush Administration and probably into the first two years of the next Administration. They will have castrated themselves. The only chance the House Democrats have to gain/acquire/use/build any political power is by showing they have grown a pair and get rid of DeLay by hook or crook. Sure, they might have to sacrifice a few of their own along the way. But they will show they are a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise they are the minority party in a body that reserves no rights to the minority.

Your Maximum Leader will stay tuned.

Carry on.