Quotes Database

«Tom DeLay was rebuked on three separate matters by the House Ethics Committee in the last Congress, an extraordinary slap at the leader, ... But they left open pending a fourth issue, which was the Ronnie Earle case in Texas. So what did the House Republicans do? They fire the chairman of the Ethics Committee. They removed two members.»

«They want a group of people on the House Ethics Committee who are going to go to extraordinary lengths to keep Tom DeLay from going down or being embarrassed yet again, which embarrasses them all, they believe, with whats been going on down in Texas.»

«We're not talking about Mother Teresa here who gets caught for turning right on a red light in a state that doesnt allow such a thing, ... The history of Tom DeLay in Congress is that he's pushed every envelope. It is often the case that powerful people get their comeuppance because of something that a lot of people would see as a technicality.»

«It's not in the backs of their minds about Jim Wright, it's in the front of their minds, ... They see the parallel here and they want to be sure this doesn't happen.»

«It turns out to be more important than we thought, ... We're at a stage now in the modern media where everything is so fragmented that the only things that bring us together in the public square are tragedies or disasters .. We look for someone to reassure us of a common purpose.»

«After 40 years, the verdict is still out.»

«Any spate of news stories from now on about corruption in contracts, etc., will hurt - people will resist a major taxpayers' commitment if they think much of it will be wasted or lining the pockets of miscreants, ... That perception, unfortunately, has been reinforced by the delegation request, which editorials have called 'Louisiana looting.' The delegation needs to change its tone and strategy when it comes to getting aid. The other danger is that over time, as other disasters occur, aid becomes zero sum.»

«I'm happy to place the lion's share of the blame for this on FEMA and the feds. But I think a substantial dollop of the blame goes to the state and local level, and he deserves his share of that.»

«The spectacle of a mayor and a governor throwing mud at each other while the city and the area were floundering was not a pretty one. That's another area where it's going to take some time and some historians to figure out whether he was let down by the government or not. On the other hand, his anger at those with a higher place on the hierarchy is an understandable one.»

«Off-term elections are more idiosyncratic, but they're affected by the larger political environment. You do have some demoralization among Republicans and that can mean a lower turnout. ... It's been an awful time for Republicans.»