The downfall of their most powerful congressman gives Republicans a chance to get rid of what he represented. The late Enoch Powell, a right-wing British politician, once observed that all political careers end in failure. This week Tom DeLay, a Texan who makes Powell look like a pinko, proved this aphorism in spectacular fashion. Mr DeLay had resigned in September from his position as House majority leader when a Texas grand jury indicted him on charges of trying to evade the state's election laws, but signalled his continued appetite for power by fixing himself a seat on the Appropriations Committee. On April 4th he announced that he will not run for re-election in November and will resign from Congress in the next few months. Republicans are thus deprived of the most important architect of their recent hegemony.
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