GOP shouldn't stop with Tom DeLay

Dallas Morning News | Carl P. Leubsdorf:

“Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, the top candidate to replace Mr. DeLay, was also involved in the K Street Project, as was rival John Boehner of Ohio, though there is no evidence at this point that either did anything illegal. Speaker Dennis Hastert was Mr. DeLay's deputy before the Texas Republican helped install him as speaker in 1998. If Republicans are serious about changing their public image, they'll opt for a clean sweep of their leadership.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Where do you stop? Dig deeper and you'll find lots more dirt. Just a year ago, these same Republicans voted to re-elect Tom Delay (R-TX) as their majority leader. The Republican caucus knew the kind of man they were installing as party leader. Tom Delay didn't change his stripes in the last year. Maybe the whole Republican caucus ought to resign.

No, the goal will be to change their public image without having to make substantive changes to their private behavior. Without having to resign. The higher up they can draw the line, the more secure the lower-ranking members of Congress are in their own seats. Because if they ever really started to clean house, who knows where it would end?