Chris Bowers echoes what I say below regarding DeLay ("You hear that "liberal" media? Let's see you finally live up to the absurd label!"):

DeLay and his litany of ethics problems is the key here. Despite the growing list of charges against DeLay, the stink of corruption has not hurt the Republican caucus or party in general because only around half of the country has even heard of him, much less heard of the charges against him. However, if we can succeed in introducing DeLay to the majority of the country through the frame of corruption, we will instantly be able to nationalize the campaign and turn it into a referendum on reform. If we can raise Tom DeLay's national name recognition to over 90%, then the majority of the country will know his name better than they know the name of their own congressman. If we do so by running ads describing how corrupt he is, then the entire Republican delegation will start to seem corrupt.

Meanwhile, Bull Moose brings up a terrific point: the greater the federal deficit, the more control given to communist China:

America is increasingly a debtor to those very same Communist Chinese. It is an irony indeed that the conservative Bushie tax cuts for the wealthy are assisting their class enemies!

Yesterday's New York Times Magazine contained a rather complacent view of the China debt.

"Let's translate that into political terms. In effect, the Bush administration's combination of tax cuts for the Republican ''base'' and a Global War on Terror is being financed with a multibillion dollar overdraft facility at the People's Bank of China. Without East Asia, your mortgage might well be costing you more. The toys you buy for your kids certainly would."

However, the writer, Niall Ferguson indicates that it is in the Chinese interest that the dollar not slide so America can buy their exports. But, the Moose asks what if the rulers of China decide that they can, in effect, hold a threat of economic blackmail to stop American efforts to defend Taiwan?

It is clearly in our national security interests that we not be vulnerable to such a possibility. While the Bushies today suggest that they are concerned about the deficit, they its architects. The question is why Republican hawks have been so quiet about the irresponsible Bush fiscal policies that both make it difficult to expand the military and give aid and comfort to a potential foe?

Back to DeLay, at 8AM this morning, I took a quick look at the excellent meta-blog The Daou Report and what do you know, on the right (he groups blogs liberal literally on the left, conservative on the right) I see zippo about DeLay. Hmm, you'd think this fairly big news story would incite at least a few comments from the right, but no, dead silence (hear: crickets), like it hasn't happened. Oh, but I did of course find one on that heinous Ward Churchill. The right-wing blogs have been a-buzz regarding this guy. I'm with Ed Schulz who stated on his radio show that he finds this guy just fodder for the right, serving as a needless lightning rod for them to get their base all excited (similar to the gay marriage furor). Dems should (if they didn't already) just condemn and distance, effectively pulling the plug on something that should never have amounted to anything near as big as what it's become. But then, that's what the right-wing does best: stir up false outrage to 1) keep their base in line, and 2) take attention off of more meaningful and outrageous topics (such as DeLay.... in fact, as the DeLay scandal train picks up steam, look for more false stories and red herrings to distract the public).