NY Times vs Tom DeLay

Robert Novak writes today in the Chicago Sun that former Congressman Bob Livingston was asked by New York Times editorial page staffer Tobin Harshaw to write an op-ed essay Majority Leader Tom DeLay should resign for the good of the party. Harshaw was quoted as saying ''we are seeking those who would go on the record or state for the good of the party he (DeLay) should step aside".

"Livingston in effect declined by responding that if he wrote anything for the Times, it would be pro-DeLay. But this remarkable case of that august newspaper fishing for an op-ed piece makes it appear part of a calculated campaign to bring down the single most powerful Republican in Congress. The Democratic establishment and left-wing activists have targeted DeLay as the way to end a decade of Republican control of the House."

'The assault on DeLay did not begin until he redistricted Texas congressional seats, which changed the 2004 election from a net loss to a net gain for House Republicans. That accomplishment, however, makes it much harder to rip holes in DeLay's House GOP support.

'At least 18 news organizations now have assigned reporters to cover DeLay, but the quest by The New York Times for a prominent Republican to suggest his resignation may cross a line."

Robert Novak writes that the Democrats in the House are attempting to replay the scenario of the Republicans when they unseated the Democrat Chairman Jim Wright, and within five years were able to take control of the House of Representatives.
Quest to get a Republican to fight DeLay may have crossed a line: DeLay, politics