William F. Buckley once said something to the effect the Conservative movement was too willing to leave it's wounded on the battlefield. I have for some time felt the same way about Tom DeLay. I have never been a big fan of DeLay but I loved him for his enemies and wished to "recover him from the battlefield." Tony Blankley has written a good column about Delay. He writes in part:
Republicans express sorrow, but are actually relieved not to have him (DeLay)as an albatross around their party neck. And as someone who has crossed paths (and sometimes swords) with Tom ever since I started as Newt Gingrich's press secretary in 1990, I am of mixed feelings.........
Politics is a necessarily tough business, and it is exceedingly rare that a party leadership post is given out of gratitude for past services rendered to the party. Whether it was Maggie Thatcher being thrown over as Tory Party leader and prime minister, Newt being forced out as speaker, or now Tom Delay being shown the exit -- parties have every right, and indeed a duty to its constituents, to mercilessly shed no longer useful leaders.
Even the immortal Winston Churchill was shown no gratitude by the British electorate after he had led them to victory in WWII and was then summarily defeated at the polls........
But if a party has a right to act ruthlessly in its self-interest, it also has a duty not to cave to the other party or its media allies. A party should get rid of its leaders on its own schedule -- not its opponent's. That is why last year, when Democrats were calling for Tom's blood, I wrote a rhetorically violent column urging the GOP not to throw him over. The GOP did stand firm with him then -- and, in fact, gave him a big party. These things are a matter of tribal pride.
Tom has served the Party magnificently over the last two decades -- both as a principled conservative legislator, and as a shrewd and tireless political operator. And he has had the good judgment to exit on his own two feet. Both the Party and the country are stronger and better for all that Tom Delay has contributed.
So as a not-always-ally, I wish him Godspeed on the next leg of his journey.
For the rest of Blankley's column click on the title aove for a link.
