DeLay In DeCline?

In today's Washington Post:

DeLay's prowess in fundraising, for instance, was always a pillar of his power in the House. Lining up a corporate aircraft to ferry him to an event was usually arranged with a single phone call. These days, Republican officials report that they are having trouble finding available aircraft -- as businesses fret that DeLay may be radioactive.

DeLay, likewise, usually no longer attends joint news conferences of the GOP leadership. His presence, Republicans say, would distract from the party's message about gas prices or other
topics of the day.

And through numerous previous controversies, DeLay and his staff always made it a point of pride that once a week when Congress was in session, he would meet reporters in his conference room -- no holds barred. Now, these sessions begin with the leader reciting a preamble about "ground rules" -- all questions not relating to the party's House floor agenda are verboten.

While my first choice would certainly be to see DeLay unceremoniously dumped from the House after dragging as much of the Republican party as possible through the mud with him, a Republican majority leader who has to walk on eggshells and be cautious in his fundraising doesn'tsound like such a terrible consolation prize.

This is not to suggest for one second that I don't want to see him go down in lurid sensationalistic flames. Just saying that there may be a silver lining even if he doesn't. Especially if the Democrats can continue to use him as a boogeyman, while at the same time the Republicans can't use his finely-honed boogeyman skills to their fundraising advantage.