DeLay and prosecutor clash as rivals

DeLay and prosecutor clash as rivals, peers in tenacity




10:08 AM CDT on Sunday, October 2, 2005


By WAYNE SLATER and TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News


They are different men, one a red-state politico who scaled the heights of national power and the other a blue-county prosecutor with a penchant for quoting Yeats.

But acquaintances of Rep. Tom DeLay and Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle say the two share one important trait that will fuel their coming legal showdown: an unwillingness to back down from a big fight.

The GOP leader's indictment has set the two protagonists in the state's biggest political drama on a collision course that has ramifications for Mr. DeLay's political future, the state's clout in Washington, the makeup of Congress, the president's agenda and the role of big money in Texas politics.

Nationally, the indictment adds to escalating allegations of cronyism and corruption in the GOP that Democrats hope will help them retake Congress and the White House. In Texas, a protracted battle could leave big donors wary and potentially reshape the state's campaign-finance system.

more......

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/100205dntexdelayearle.2ddd408.html

He's in big trouble, dudes. I don't understand how a guy with NO poker face could get as far as this turd has.