Apparently, at least in his own mind, Tom DeLay has become our new national moral and spiritual leader. He, like other famous religious figures, is being persecuted for his beliefs. At least that's what he told the Family Research Council according to today's New York Times:
On Friday, as the leaders of both chambers scrambled to try to stop the removal of Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube, Mr. DeLay, a Texas Republican, turned his attention to social conservatives gathered at a Washington hotel and described what he viewed as the intertwined struggle to save Ms. Schiavo, expand the conservative movement and defend himself against accusations of ethical lapses.The very ethically challenged Majority Leader has tried to pretend morals are at the centerpiece of the Schiavo debate. Fact is, for him, it has been a political issue.
"One thing that God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo, to help elevate the visibility of what is going on in America," Mr. DeLay told a conference organized by the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. A recording of the event was provided by the advocacy organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
"This is exactly the issue that is going on in America, of attacks against the conservative movement, against me and against many others," Mr. DeLay said.
Mr. DeLay complained that "the other side" had figured out how "to defeat the conservative movement," by waging personal attacks, linking with liberal organizations and persuading the national news media to report the story. He charged that "the whole syndicate" was "a huge nationwide concerted effort to destroy everything we believe in."
This "moral crusade" is not new for DeLay. An Associated Press piece analysis titled "DeLay Under Fire for Ethics" chronicles the growing list of ethical problems, and includes these key paragraphs:
DeLay fights government regulation at every turn, a position hardened during the years before he came to Washington when he ran a pest control business and railed at "Gestapo" environmental regulators. He's also a leader among religious conservatives, pushing for a more God-centered nation.What a heavy burden for Tom DeLay. Next thing you know, he will have a new URL: www.tomdelay.god.
Ahead of the 2000 presidential race, he outlined a vision where "we march forward with a biblical worldview, a worldview that says God is our Creator, that man is a sinner, and that we will save this country by changing the hearts and minds of Americans."
