For those of you who are paying attention, read this article in today's Washington Post, and note the vindictiveness in this line:

“Rep. Tom DeLay had considered resigning on several occasions over the past four months. But he waited until after he had vanquished his challengers in the Republican primary to deny them the chance to become his successor, associates said.”

In doing so, DeLay deliberately deprived the VOTERS, the people of District 22, from making the call on who should replace him when he knew he was leaving. How democratic of him.

By doing what he did the way he did it, DeLay has set up political chaos – already the list of candidates for a Special Election is double that of the primary, and growing.

None of the "new" candidates had the guts to challenge Mr. DeLay and his lack of ethics directly (except for possibly Mr. Stockman’s independent challenge but I didn’t hear Stockman complaining about DeLay’s ethics –he just wanted the job). So why are they necessarily examples of people with strong leadership skills that will fight corruption? If they didn’t challenge DeLay’s ethical excesses before now, what lousy ethics would they challenge in the future?

If DeLay had left it up to the people, we would be in the closing days of a run off between Mr. Campbell and myself – with a lame duck embattled Congressman on the sidelines. It probably would have gone to Mr. Campbell who had more money, but at least the people would have had a choice – and again in November when the winner faced Mr. Lampson.

DeLay has ironically sown the seeds for the fall of the GOP in District 22, and perhaps nationally. Now watch the hand of Mr. DeLay set up yet another scene of chaos that generates bad will -- as the candidates vying for his job commence cutting each other into small pieces in the next few months.

I won’t be one of those candidates. My mission ended with DeLay’s leaving office. Yes, he denied Mr. Campbell (or me) the seat. Vindictiveness has seen to that. But it comes at a high price for the voters and Republicans.

Just watch in the coming days. His actions will end up doing far more damage than good to the GOP, etc.

I cannot honestly support any candidate or party (Republican or Democrat) that fails to confront or deal with the corruption and lack of ethics and commitment to true democracy that has been exhibited by any of our elected officials, including Mr. DeLay.