Less than a week ago, Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) called Tom DeLay an “embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party” and publicly called on him to resign as Majority Leader. Many waited anxiously to see who, if anyone, would follow Shays’ lead. Days went by, but more GOP ire was directed at Shays than DeLay.
Today, however, a second skeptic has come forward.
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) says it is “probably not the worst idea” for embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step down while he deals with ethics allegations.
Stepping into a swirling Washington controversy, the Littleton Republican said he doesn’t think the current accusations of impropriety against DeLay amount to much. But Tancredo said that from a political perspective, DeLay has handled the ethics issue “stupidly.”
“I don’t think we should try to oust him,” he said in an interview Thursday at the Capitol. “Right now, I would not encourage him to leave. If he chose to resign as majority leader until these matters are resolved, that’s probably not the worst idea.”
Granted, that’s not exactly a sweeping condemnation. But in this environment, with heightened sensitivity in light of DeLay’s precarious state, every comment like this has a lot more meaning. Tancredo surely knows this, which makes his suggestion all the more significant.
Indeed, Shays is considered a RINO in Republican circles, so his recent outburst was easily ignored by the House caucus. Tancredo, meanwhile, is a right-wing nut with conservative “street cred.” If he thinks DeLay’s resignation is a decent idea, it’s likely to be taken far more seriously than Shays’ concerns.
So, who’ll be number three?