Republican leader Tom DeLay resigns.
LA Times on DeLay's resignation. DeLay was the primary architect of the "K Street project," (so named because K Street in Washington is where the major lobbying firms have their offices) in which Republican congressmen demanded money and gifts from lobbyists in exchange for access and influence. The initiative was a huge success; corporate lobbyists gave huge amounts of money to Republican candidates, and Republicans gained control of Congress for the first time in decades. The K Street Project is what Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D- CA) was referring to when she described the Republican leadership's "culture of corruption."
The K Street Project was not DeLay's only sleazy entanglement. He was also deeply involved with indicted Republican uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The Abramoff scandal continues to grow: DeLay's staffers have been indicted and will soon testify on behalf of the prosecution regarding all the congressmen who accepted gifts from Abramoff in exchange for access.
Many pundits are predicting that the stink of the K Street Project, and the Abramoff scandal (not to mention the apparent failure of the Iraq war to create either security or democracy in Iraq) will result in a landslide for Democrats in the 2006 congressional elections.
So here's the question: Will the Republicans lose their majority in Congress in the upcoming midterm elections?
