BOSSIE: The lynching of Tom DeLay

[Geee]

Washington Times:

Around Washington, Rep. Tom DeLay was known as "the Hammer." It's a title he earned for his effective

ness when he served in the role of majority whip. The whip is the person tasked with counting votes and building support for legislation. As whip, Mr. DeLay was uniquely effective at enacting and implementing the Contract With America and key portions of the George W. Bush agenda. He also was able to flex his political muscle within the state of Texas to leave his mark on the redistricting process.

Tom DeLay was a very skilled politician. He understood the legislative and political processes better than most. However, his effectiveness put him squarely in the cross hairs of another effective politician: Ronnie Earle.

Mr. Earle isn't a player most Americans have heard of. He is neither a veteran member of Congress nor an influential lobbyist - he was the Travis County district attorney. In Texas, unlike other states, the district attorney in a county has statewide jurisdiction over public corruption crimes. Over the course of his three-decade-long career, Mr. Earle turned the power of his office against many politicians. The battles he waged against Republican politicians, including DeLay and Kay Bailey Hutchison, are infamous. They achieved this status not because of the facts of the cases, which were mediocre at best, or the strength of the legal arguments, but rather because Mr. Earle's targets were well-known public figures.