[Ed. note: I didn't notice that I was making a second post on this... since I've added some additional content from today's coverage, read down...]

Washington Post Headline: DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card

From the story:

David Sirota has this blast from the past:

House Speaker Denny Hastert (finally) defends DeLay. Mostly, anyway.

Yesterday's main Republican talking point defending Tom DeLay was this:

"Tom DeLay did nothing wrong," Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., told reporters after the weekly GOP caucus meeting. "There's no evidence of any breaking of the House rules."

Author/journalist Lou Dubose does some of the best, most thorough reporting on Tom DeLay and DeLay Inc. This morning he has a long piece in Salon (which you can read if you have a subscription or watch a trailer to a movie to get a day pass).

Here's Lou's quick answer to why DeLay is still in power:

Breaking news in Washington Post and New York Times:

Washington Post: A Third DeLay Travel Controversy

New York Times: Political Groups Paid Two Relatives of House Leader

More soon...

I don't know how I missed this Molly Ivins column last week, but miss it I did. Even still, it's worth a read. Here are a few pitch-perfect paragraphs:

Ken Bode, formerly of CNN and now a journalism professor at DePauw University, pens an oped for the Indianapolis Star that starts out with language from an urgent email alert asking recipients to pray for "Christian statesman" Tom DeLay. It's reminiscent of the statements made by Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation earlier this week that the attacks against DeLay were "spiritual warfare." The op-ed invokes the late Hunter S. Thompson at the end:

Jill Zuckman of the Chicago Tribune identifies the trouble territory for DeLay and the Republicans:

A groundswell of criticism generated by alleged ethical lapses concerning House Majority Leader Tom Delay is forcing the Texas lawmaker to seek support from GOP colleagues and is threatening to harm the Republican legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.