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| | DeLay may not survive furor
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005 By David Sanders WASHINGTON - The furor of embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay continues to grow. Republicans working on and near Capitol Hill are now saying that the Texas Republican may not survive. The Washington Post reported Sunday that in 2000, DeLay received payment for airfare to London and Scotland that was charged to the credit card of Jack Abramoff, the Beltway lobbyist who is a subject of criminal investigations involving his lobbying practice. It also reported that many expenses on the trip were covered by another lobbyist, Edwin Buckham. House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay claims he didn't know about the lobbyist picking up the tab. He says he was told the National Center for Public Policy Research, a nonprofit organization, paid for the trip expenses and had no way of knowing that lobbyists picked up the tab. The offices on Capitol Hill are full of Republicans who are tired of hearing about DeLay's ethical issues. Word around Capitol Hill is that Sunday's revelations may be the beginning of the end for DeLay. Republicans are now worried that DeLay could harm the GOP as the party gears up for 2006 midterm elections. Why is this issue worth following? Lobbyists and Capitol Hill staffers are starting to talk about who will follow Delay. The name that comes up most often as a possible replacement is House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, who just happens to be a close friend of Arkansas U.S. Rep. John Boozman. Boozman is part of Blunt's whip organization, which is responsible for counting votes and corralling Republican members on key legislation. Blunt, a fifth-term Missouri congressman whose district touches much of Arkansas' northern border, became House majority whip in 2003. He is the former president of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and is more moderate in temperament than DeLay, though his politics are as thoroughly conservative. Others mentioned as potential DeLay replacements: Rep. John Boehner, the eighth-term Ohio congressman was once part of the House GOP leadership, but lost his spot in 1998 to former Rep. J.C. Watts, who is now back in Oklahoma. He is conservative and is one of the House's more sociable members. He also is well liked. Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds is a four-term New York congressman who sits at the helm of the National Republican Congressional Committee and spends his time raising campaign cash and recruiting new candidates. Last month, Reynolds announced record fund-raising levels for Republicans. He is considered a likely player in the future leadership changes and is mentioned as a potential House speaker. The future may be approaching quickly and the House's No. 2 job could be his first move up the ladder. Leaving the Beltway A movie about a Southern governor, an illegitimate child and an untimely execution might just have what it takes to be a box office hit. At least that is what John Mark Huckabee hopes. Huckebee, the elder son of Gov. Mike Huckabee, is finishing his final week on Capitol Hill, where he has worked for Congressman Boozman for three years as the director of constituent correspondence. He will be leaving the bustling traffic and fast-paced lifestyle in Washington for the calm and serene surroundings of Bowen Island, British Columbia. Huckabee is one of five successful applicants for the Piko Fellowship in Screenwriting. The fellowship is designed to identify and develop young Christian screenwriters. He won't give out many details about his screenplay, but he says it's an exciting political drama. He will spend four months in Canada improving the screenplay, and then he will relocate to Southern California, where he will try to sell it to Hollywood studios. Lookout Michael Moore! ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
