[mburbank]

Preech, with all due respect, the prosecution has presented the indictment, not the case. However it ends up playing out (and I personally think they wouldn't have made the indictment if they didn't think they had a shot at nailing him) Delay is going to busy defending himself in all probability right through the midterms. That is a loooooong time to have to concentrate your political wiles on not going to jail.

There may well be a second act for Tom Delay. But the parade might march right past him too. A Republican controlled ethics committee has had to rebuke him multipe times. He is a dog turd and the best defense he'll be able to mount is "Okay, It's true, I'm a dog turd, but the almost certainly illegal things I've done can't be proven in a court of law."

Like Ginrich before him, he's a big enough Asshole that just the steady light a trial will throw on him will make him too unapealing to retain leadrship.

That's what I think, anyway.