Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Tex.) staunchly defended his record and his accomplishments in a speech Wednesday at Nassau Community College.
The speech was billed towards the future roles of Israel and Iran in the War on Terror, but Delay focused more on his upbringing, its influence on his view of the world and the nature of diplomatic relations between the United States and Israel.
Delay was born in Laredo, Texas, but was raised in Venezuela because of his father’s work with oil companies. This is where Delay encountered his first taste of political strife. At age 7, Delay witnessed his first revolution. “It was the source of my passion for freedom, and my hostility to unaccountable power.”
Delay defended the forces of democracy and freedom. “Free countries don’t turn weapons of mass destruction on their own people, democracies don’t systematically deny rights to enforce twisted and brutal ideologies and free nations don’t pay bounties for blood,” he said.
Most of the speech focused on the nature of diplomacy between the United States and Israel. Delay spoke of the mutual beginnings of the nations. Both were founded on faith, believe in the free market and seek peace and good relations, according to Delay.
However, Delay was critical of Israel at times. He argued that the nation was not hard enough on their Palestinian and Lebanese neighbors. They should have never left the Gaza, he said.
“Arafat was an impediment to peace,” Delay said. “Hamas is probably even worse.”
Delay said that Israel should help the Palestinians economically. “Israel should have had a Marshall Plan for the Palestinian citizens,” he said. “They should build road and build schools that don’t teach hate.”
After the half-hour speech, Delay took questions from the audience, which was crowded and largely conservative.
The U.S. will have to act militarily against Iran because of the nation’s alleged intention to acquire nuclear weapons, Delay said. “But if the United States does not act, Israel will,” he added.
When pressed on gerrymandering, Delay unwaveringly defended his actions, including his intervention in Texas in 2003, where he used the FAA to track Democratic state legislators that had fled the state instead of voting on new congressional districts.
“One man’s gerrymander is another’s good district,” he said. “The process was designed to be political.”
Delay was proud of his record in Congress. He listed what he considered accomplishments, including term limits for committee chairs, and selection of committee chairs by merit, not seniority.
Delay thought he could have changed the media. “I wanted to cut out liberal reporters from having access to the people in power,” he said. “We didn’t do a very good job of that.”
He was extremely pleased with his “K Street Project,” the name of the project Delay used to force lobbyists to hire Republicans in order to gain access to legislators. “K Street was totally Democratic,” he said. “I asked people to hire Republicans because I want my friends on K Street helping us advance our agenda.”
Delay resigned from the House of Representatives on June 9, due in part to an indictment in Texas, as well as because of his relationship with infamous superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, including the felony convictions of two of his senior staffers.
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