WASHINGTON — The indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) undercuts one of President Bush's most powerful allies at a time when the GOP is already battered by other ethics controversies, plummeting public confidence and intraparty divisions over budget policy.
The departure from the leadership ranks of DeLay, a commanding figure in the House's machinery for enforcing party discipline, could hamper Republicans' ability to advance political and legislative agendas.
The indictment is the latest in a series of developments that have put the GOP on the defensive, among them the Bush administration's halting initial response to Hurricane Katrina, soaring gas prices and continuing violence in Iraq. It comes less than a week after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) acknowledged he was under investigation for a stock sale, giving new ammunition for Democrats who seek to call attention to alleged ethical lapses to bolster an argument that Republicans have abused power in Congress and the White House.
"It's hard to spin this as anything other than another problem dropped on the pile of troubles our side faces now," GOP pollster Whit Ayres said. "Bad news tends to come in bunches, and we've had a bunch lately."
"People are upset," said Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio). "It's not a good day for the home team."
Still, Republican colleagues rallied around DeLay and embraced his view that the indictment -- by a Texas grand jury on a charge of violating state campaign finance laws -- was politically motivated.
"This is the first day of a war," said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.). "This was a cheap shot against Tom DeLay, and he was indicted because he was majority leader. If we abandon Tom DeLay, we're abandoning ourselves."
Some Democrats tried to restrain their glee at the legal troubles of a GOP leader they had demonized. "Don't write that I'm smiling," said one House Democrat on learning the news.
Others immediately linked DeLay's problems to Frist's, as well as to the investigation of Bush advisor Karl Rove in connection with the disclosure of a CIA operative's identity.
"The Republican leadership in Washington is now spending more time answering questions about ethical misconduct than doing the people's business," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
