Lame-Duck Texas Rep. Gets Down to Work Without DeLay

How did she feel, asked a reporter from the Houston Chronicle, when Democrats came over to greet her?

"I welcome that," she said. "I welcome bipartisan support."

Amazing! In one short night in Congress, Sekula-Gibbs had already done most of the things that our elected representatives do. She'd held a news conference, she'd voted, she'd endorsed bipartisanship, and she'd pledged to "work with my colleagues." To experience the full gamut of congressional life, about all she needed now was a committee meeting and a breakfast meeting.

Alas, she hadn't been assigned to any committees yet. But yesterday she did hold a breakfast meeting in her office for constituents. Her staff provided Danish pastries and a Dunkin' Donuts Box o' Joe.

Houston attorney Robert Gibbs was there. He is Sekula-Gibbs's third husband. "The first husband died," he said. "And the second husband died. And I'm still here."

Jon and Lillian Keeney were there, too. They are constituents and friends of Sekula-Gibbs. They are also the proud possessors of Tom DeLay's first dinette set. They got it from DeLay's daughter, they said, when they helped her clean out DeLay's Texas office.

"It'll be on our ranch in Dime Box, Texas," said Jon.

Is it the kind of thing, a reporter asked, that might someday appear in a Tom DeLay museum?

"Absolutely!" Jon said.

Texas's senators, John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, both Republicans, dropped by to welcome Sekula-Gibbs to Congress. So did Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) , a former judge who once sentenced a burglar to stand on a sidewalk wearing a sign that read, "I stole from this store." Poe is a big fan of Sekula-Gibbs.

"I think she can get down in the pits, so to speak, and start working immediately," he said. "She has the energy to do it."

"And this is an energy state," Sekula-Gibbs added, smiling.

By then, she'd been in office for 15 hours. A reporter asked, "Have you been corrupted by power yet?"

"No, I haven't," she said. And she burst out laughing.

But only for a moment. A second later, she was serious again. "It's been a rewarding experience," she said, "and I'm looking forward to making a difference and providing a solid voice for conservative values."