What if Bill had paid Hillary and Chelsea $500,000?

The New York Times >
Washington >
April 7, 2005>
"DeLay Denounces Report on Payments to His Family"

He called the article "just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me," contending that his wife and daughter had legitimately earned the money by working as valued members of his political team.

"My wife and daughter have any right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," Mr. DeLay said. "It's pretty disgusting, particularly when my wife and daughter are singled out and others are not, in similar situations in the Senate and as well as the House."

His Republican colleagues continued on Wednesday to rally to his defense, although a few have begun to question how long the leadership can withstand such withering coverage.

Tom DeLay can denounce The Librul Media all he wants, but the fact remains that this doesn't pass The Hillary Test. If Hillary and Chelsea (or Roslyn and Amy, or Theresa and Alexandra, or Tipper and . . . well, you get the idea) had received five HUNDRED dollars of campaign funds for services rendered to their husband and father, Tom DeLay would be screaming for the reappointment of Ken Starr, the GOP (rhymes with flip-flop) would be calling for Democratic heads to roll -- and so would "the liberal media."

Bye Bye Tom?
True Blue Liberal

[Postscript: I found this comment I left on someone else's blog yesterday and it seemed appropriate here, because I'm still not sure if The Hammer is leaving, or even if I'm sure I want him to:
I hope he turns on the party, but unlike milquetoasts like Paul O'Neill and Christie Whitman and the rest of the forgotten defectors, he actually bares his poisonous fangs and bites the hand that formerly fed him, trying to pull a few of his fellow malefactors down with him. Wouldn't it be great to see him lash back with some inside dirt about Dick and his energy dealings?

If DeLay stays, it will probably indicate that he does have some dangerous information that he has threatened to loose on the world. And remember, he's from the state of Enron and Halliburton and Dubya's murderous governorship -- he certainly has ammunition, and we know he has a mean streak.

If they don't give him the boot, then we have him as the Republican posterboy for the 2006 midterms, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.]