When Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) became the first congressional Republican to call on Tom DeLay to resign<\/a>, the political establishment held its collective breath to see if it was the start of a trend. It never really materialized. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said it’s “probably not the worst idea<\/a>” for DeLay to step down, but that was nearly three weeks ago and the caucus has been supportive since.<\/p>\n But that doesn’t mean Republican concern over DeLay’s corruption has completely dissipated. Current<\/i> GOP lawmakers are either rallying behind DeLay or biting their tongues, but some former<\/i> GOP lawmakers are still hoping to restore some integrity to the party’s leadership.<\/p>\n A few weeks ago, we learned that 10 retired House Republicans — calling their initiative the “revolt of the elders” — expressed “grave concern<\/a>” about attempts to shield DeLay from being held accountable for his transgressions. More recently, the group traveled to Texas — to find a primary opponent<\/a> for the embattled House Majority Leader.<\/p>\n Former U.S. Rep. Pete McCloskey, in Houston Sunday for a conference on Palestinian issues, said he and other Republican elders are looking for a candidate to oppose U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. <\/p>\n “Tom DeLay is an embarrassment to the Republican Party,” said McCloskey, who represented Northern California from 1967 to 1983.<\/p>\n He met Sunday with Michael Fjetland, who was defeated by DeLay in Republican primaries in 2000 and 2002 and as an independent in the 2004 general election.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n