NOTABLE QUOTABLES FROM TOM DELAY

“ I don't think there is enough money in the system today.”

“It never ceases to amaze me that people are so cynical they want to tie money to issues, money to bills, money to amendments.”

“The EPA, the Gestapo of government pure and simple, has been one of major claw hooks that the government maintains on the backs of our constituents.”

WHAT TEXAS NEWPAPERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TOM DELAY

Headline: “DeLay seems to think the rules don't apply to him” Houston Chronicle, 10/9/04

“Like many powerful congressional figures before him, DeLay has overreached. He has used his power for self-aggrandizement and ruthless partisanship. And he has scoffed at the law, House rules and simple propriety. DeLay has abused his position and embarrassed the House.” Austin American-Statesman, 10/10/04

“When you add those rulings to the two warnings Mr. DeLay drew during the 1990s for retaliating against a lobbyist and soliciting contributions on federal property, the man's got a problem. …It smacks of a pattern of abuse. Worse, it reveals a contempt for how the House should work.” Dallas Morning News, 10/12/04

WHAT NATIONAL MEDIA ARE SAYING ABOUT TOM DELAY

“The day after the ethics ruling, DeLay was back on the fund-raising trail…” Newsweek, 10/18/04

“Rep. DeLay must step down from his position as House Majority Leader. He has shown that he is incapable of upholding the high standards necessary for House leadership.” Allentown (PA) Morning Call, October 11, 2004

“If he had any ethics, he would step down.” Wilmington (NC) Morning Star, 10/11/04

“[DeLay’s] angry reaction to being admonished by his peers shows that DeLay is too arrogant to mend his ways.” Chicago Tribune, 10/11/04

“House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is a national embarrassment and should resign his leadership position, if not his office.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/10/04

“Instead of bristling and sputtering, House Republicans should be asking themselves whether House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, rebuked twice in seven days by his chamber's ethics committee, has become an unaffordable liability for them.” Denver Post, 10/11/04

“[It] shows a dismaying pattern of abusing official authority in pursuit of personal interests and purely partisan concerns.” Louisville Courier-Journal, 10/9/04

“The bipartisan rebuke is extraordinary, but it hardly puts to rest Mr. DeLay's use of power as a partisan cudgel.” New York Times, 10/8/04

“It’s taken too long, but House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's shady ethics may finally be catching up to him.” Washington Post, 10/8/04