Hammer Time (Ronnie Earle finally gets his man.)

From OpinionJournal.com:

Texas retribution went national yesterday with the indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay by Travis County (Austin) prosecutor Ronnie Earle. We've been critical of Mr. DeLay, but anyone who knows the history of Mr. Earle will not be rushing to judgment on this one.

Not that the truth or falsity of the charges matters in immediate political terms. Mr. DeLay was obliged to "temporarily step aside" from his leadership post yesterday, even as he declared that "I am innocent" and that the charges were brought by an "unabashed partisan zealot." His resignation deals another blow to a GOP Congress already suffering from a lack of ideological direction. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi quickly pounced to declare this "the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued with a culture of corruption." Mr. Earle understood he could get his man merely by charging him.