DeLay gives up the ghostFollow

Succumbing to scandal, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday he is resigning from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style.

"The voters of the 22nd District of Texas deserve a campaign about the vital national issues that they care most about and that affect their lives every day, and not a campaign focused solely as a referendum on me," DeLay said in a statement.

DeLay reflected Republican concerns that the GOP could lose the seat in November, saying his love and loyalty to the party played a role in his decision and adding, "I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative, personal campaign."

President Bush said Tuesday that DeLay had informed him of his decision Monday afternoon.

"I wish him all the best," Bush told reporters during a brief White House session, adding, "It had to have been a very difficult decision for someone who loved representing his district in the state of Texas."

There's 660,000 people in the district but no clue how many are registered voters. That number wouldn't mean much anyway since primary turn-outs are always shabby.