Three Cheers for DeLay

"Scholars and analysts disagree over the extent to which Mr. DeLay created -- or reflected -- the intense polarization of his times."

Look who's criticizing now:

"Departing Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas said yesterday that House Republicans have no vision or agenda and have let the Democrats choose the GOP leadership," says the Washington Times .

And the reason? "Breaking up our leadership has taken its toll."

If only I were still around. . . .

The Chicago Tribune's Michael Tackett : "Tom DeLay, the last of the leaders of the Republican Revolution still standing, has finally been consumed by his own fire. . . .

"Even though DeLay chose to go, it was not quietly. Nowhere in his words could one read sense of contrition. That lack of acknowledgement is perhaps just one of the reasons that the revolution that DeLay rode to power seems to be struggling to breathe."

Brief time-out here: Yesterday I reported Katie Couric's pending jump from "Today" to the "CBS Evening News," and this morning she makes it official .

Now to the bloggers on DeLay. Josh Marshall says the Hammer's legacy lives on:

"So DeLay is out. But it's DeLay's House. DeLay's Republican DC machine. They built and fortified it with the money he brought in. The great majority of them voted for the 'DeLay Rule' custom tailored for Majority Leader DeLay to avoid stepping down even after indictment. The current Republican membership of the House ethics committee was hand-picked to provide protection for DeLay and the old membership was purged. He's their guy. Their rule rests on his machine. They can run but they can't hide."

Kos is on the same page: "Republicans will pretend that all of DeLay's sins will wash away and no longer affect congressional Republicans. And the media bots will dutifully repeat that spin.

"Except that every Republican in Congress enabled DeLay. They all fed from his trough. They even tried to change House rules to allow him to continue serving as House leader while under indictment. And DeLay's cowardly resignation is further proof of just how corrupt and corrosive he really was."