His star fallen, DeLay sees his pet project fade ($500m oil-gas plan)

[sabra]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/02/17/his_star_fallen_delay_sees_his_pet_project_fade/?page=full

His star fallen, DeLay sees his pet project fade
$500m oil-gas plan slashed


WASHINGTON -- When Tom DeLay was the most powerful man in the House of Representatives, Congress and the president devoted $500 million over 10 years for an oil and gas project lawmakers expected to go to a firm in DeLay's hometown.

But just a month after the embattled former House majority leader announced he would not try to keep his leadership job, the Bush administration cut funding for the project from its 2007 budget, and announced in the fine print of its 1,220-page fiscal blueprint that it would seek legislation to kill the program outright.

A Department of Energy spokesman said the decision this month merely reflects President Bush's desire to weed out ineffective programs. But in political circles, lawmakers and analysts saw the cut as a slap against a man who no longer has the political muscle to hit back.

''No way" would the administration suggest eliminating the program if Delay, the Texas Republican, were still majority leader, said Tyson Slocum, an energy specialist at Public Citizen, a lobbying group that opposed the project. ''He carried way too much clout. This program clearly was identified with Tom DeLay."

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Lord help me,

but I LOVE when they start devouring their fallen.

I mean, they don't even wait for them to die before they're chowing down.

I LOVE IT.

[calmblueocean]

2. Hehe! Me too.

I wonder how Ol' Mug Shot feels right about now.

[joefree1]

4. And he's still on trial

Delay's got nothing to look forward to but the long slide into infamy. Let's help. Everybody, I, 2, 3, PUSH!

[Punkingal]

3. Oh, poor baby.

:nopity:

[npincus]

5. Ha ha- I'll bet his social calender has really dried up.

no more all-expense paid golf trips in the Caribbean.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Oh, this hurts us more than we can say. We are in grief over this

loss of prestige visited upon poor "The Hammer." Poor, poor thing.

[ugarte]

7. Now he's just "The Exterminator"

Hopefully we'll see him back in his pest control uniform in the near future, with 'THE HAMMER' in the little oval over his shirt pocket.

[Javaman]

8. Whoops! sorry tommy boy, there goes your retirement fund. LOL nt

[AnneD]

9. His only pet project ....

was himself

[tanyev]

10. Ouch! They stuck that knife in the back and twisted really hard.