A true story, as reported in The Washington Post in May of 2003: In an upscale Washington D.C. steak house, Tom DeLay and about 30 political supporters are just finishing the main course when DeLay and several others light up cigars.
Tom Khandker, the manager of the restaurant, approaches DeLay and respectfully informs him that the building is owned by the federal government and prohibits smoking, entreating DeLay to extinguish his cigar. Tom DeLay, recalcitrant at the plebeian's directive, retorts, "I am the federal government" and storms off with some cronies to fire up elsewhere.
This anecdote struck me as a particularly unpleasant reminder of the hubris that infects so many of our nation's current leaders, including Tom "The Hammer" DeLay.
Without a doubt, there are many on both sides of the aisle who have succumbed to the illusion of infallibility, and in doing so put themselves and their dealings above the law. In many cases, having rationalized away their corruption, they continue to pursue their careers at the upper echelons of our nation's power structure unabated. The laws that perhaps they themselves created do not apply to them, whether it be steak houses or court houses.
Which is not to say Tom DeLay is guilty. Indicted on conspiracy charges last Wednesday, he is due the same fair trial that any other United States citizen deserves. Only when we are made aware of the final judgment should we draw our conclusions.
Until then, after a retrospective of a few of the other "Hammer" scandals, one can tentatively assert that Tom is (was) a powerful and ruthless bully who deserves a lesson in humility, if not two years of hard time to drive the point home. Here is a quick overview:
The big scandal you'll read about in all the papers for the foreseeable future regards how much DeLay knew about $190,000 in corporate donations that found their way into the coffers of Texas Republican candidates in the 2002 election cycle via a political action committee that DeLay organized. Texas campaign finance laws prohibit the use of corporate contributions in all but a few specific instances, but allegedly DeLay's political action committee discovered a way to circumvent these rules.
Other connections that have drawn public scrutiny include DeLay's relationship with disgraced uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Old friends and partners, Tom has kept Jack at arm's length lately. Who's to blame him?
John McCain and the Department of Justice are each currently investigating Abramoff for defrauding American Indian tribes (or "troglodytes," as Abramoff liked to refer to them) out of tens of millions of dollars. DeLay will face more trouble (unrelated to his current trouble) if the investigation places him any closer to the scandal.
DeLay loves to travel. Lobbyists and interest groups have afforded him vacations to Russia, Britain and South Korea. The problem is, these trips are prohibited by House ethics rules. Curiously enough, the House Ethics Committee booted out three Republicans after DeLay was admonished for the infractions last fall, replacing them with some new, more "Hammer-friendly" Republicans.
Representative Nick Smith, R-Mich., reported that he was on the receiving end of a $100,000 bribe extended to him by DeLay, in exchange for Smith's support on the 2003 Medicare bill. Smith reported the infraction, before mysteriously clamming up about the whole fiasco. Eventually the aforementioned Ethics Committee was forced to take action and slapped DeLay on the wrist with another formal admonishment.
Bribery is a no-no.
The current scandal has finally wrested DeLay's position as House majority leader from him, maybe permanently. This demotion attests to the gravity of a federal indictment, although it is yet to be seen how what's left of Tom's reputation will weather this new storm intact.
In the meantime, Republicans are deciding if it's worth it to stand too close to DeLay, lest his considerable image problems become their own in the 2006 midterm elections. Whether or not the man is guilty, he's deftly avoided any substantive punishment for his actions thus far, so it's high time the public is allowed to find out the truth about one of the most controversial and powerful men in Washington.
I can't help but be reminded of the old saying, "Where there's smoke ..."
Huck is an anthropology junior.
To express your opinion, click here
Be the first to comment on this article!