WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- As the Republican Party wagons circle around embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and GOP leaders go on the offensive to protect him, cracks have begun to appear in the steadfast veneer of support for the powerful conservative Texan amid potential signs of more trouble to come.
Some Republican lawmakers are distancing themselves from DeLay amid mounting charges of ethical impropriety on his part, and as they next year's re-election bids.
A second prominent Republican facing a potentially tough re-election battle next year has called for DeLay to do more to explain the charges levied against him.
Moderate GOP Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., said Monday that the highest legal and ethical standards should be upheld and that having a party leader under an ethical cloud makes it difficult for party leaders to run for office.
When asked about the comments by reporters Tuesday, Chafee initially backed off from them, noting that he "hasn't absorbed all the legal and ethical issues" involved in DeLay's case. However, when pressed, Chafee reiterated his concerns about public perception.
"It just tends to cast a shadow over the party," said Chafee.
DeLay is facing increasing criticism from Democrats and interest groups stemming from media reports about elaborate foreign trips reportedly paid for by corporate interests through a conservative non-profit and a foreign lobbying interest as well as an ongoing investigation and indictment of close political associates.
The attacks and internal party calls for the Texan to better explain the charges raised come as conservative groups seek to rally GOP lawmakers to protect DeLay, calling the questions raised an attack on the entire conservative movement.
About two dozen conservative leaders, including American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene, Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulner and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins have been working on a proactive, grass-roots effort to help DeLay and push GOP lawmakers who may get spooked by DeLay's problems to "close ranks" around the majority leader.
However, the effort has had little impact on key lawmakers facing potential political negatives from the scandal.
Chafee's comments followed those of conservative Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., who told ABC's "This Week" Sunday that while DeLay is a good leader, he needs to explain "what he did and why he did it" to end questions about his interactions with lobbyists and travels.
Such comments clearly reflect the sort of skittish mentality that conservative interests seeking to protect DeLay are fighting against, but it is important to note that both Chafee and Santorum are Republicans running for re-election in highly Democratic states.
But even in circles where political futures are not at stake, DeLay is being questioned.
The Wall Street Journal attacked DeLay in an editorial late last month for his betrayal of the standards that helped usher House Republicans into power a decade ago over a long entrenched but ethically challenged Democratic leadership.
The "politics of personal destruction" explanation that DeLay and his allies have relied on mantra-like is showing sure signs of cracking in the face of political reality if a solid conservative Republican like Santorum feels the need to press DeLay publicly to provide a better response to the accusations made against him.
DeLay and his supporters have consistently reiterated that Democratic interests and the "liberal media" are behind the accusation and note that he has broken no laws.
Despite some outburst of self defense by DeLay, House GOP aides and Republican operatives in Washington describe a bunker mentality at what is referred to in Washington as DeLay Inc., in deference to the massive scale of his political operation, and growing worries about the impact DeLay could have.
"There is no question that you have some Republicans (lawmakers), particularly those in states where you have a substantial number of Democrats, growing nervous," Norman Ornstein, an expert in politics and Congress at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told UPI. "They do not want their party defined by ethics problems and they feel a little freer to talk about things that conservatives primarily talk about only in private."
Ornstein noted the importance of the fact that DeLay's problems are a front-page story because it shows that the issue is a prominent one that will get much more scrutiny from the media.
More allegations about trips taken at the expense of corporate or lobbying interests could arise or something could happen in the ongoing court case in Texas against a political action committee DeLay helped establish to shed greater light on his level of involvement with its operations. Three of his political associates are under indictment related to their fundraising efforts for Texans for a Republican Majority.
DeLay has denied wrongdoing in the matter, and said he was not involved intimately with the group's day-to-day activities.
However, most eyes in Washington are turned to the impact his former close associate and top fundraiser, GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, could have on the majority leader's future.
The subject of a Justice Department investigation into his lobbying practices, Abramoff has been tied to trips taken by DeLay, reportedly helping funnel corporate money for the trips to groups that paid directly for them.
Newsweek quotes Abramoff as recently telling a former colleague that DeLay and his staff members are "S.O.B.s" who knew everything about the trips.
"He knew all the details," Abramoff was quoted as saying.
DeLay has said that no lawmaker can be expected to know everything about the funding structure of the groups they travel with.
If true, Abramoff's comments only feeds the speculation that he could be looking to strike a deal with prosecutors, but any such fallout between Abramoff and DeLay should come no surprise.
DeLay sought to distance himself from the controversy surrounding Abramoff in March.
"I go about my job," said DeLay. "Jack Abramoff's got his own problems."
Ornstein is of the belief that Delay's days as a prominent party leader are numbered.
"Gradually what is occurring is that the armor that he has protecting him has been stripped away layer by layer," said Ornstein. "At some point he is in the same situation as (former Senate Majority Leader) Trent Lott, from one comment, where he is more a liability than help."
Despite all of the potential calamities for DeLay, it is important to recognize that the mounting calls for a better explanation are not coming from within DeLay's own caucus, but from across the Capitol from lawmakers with clear political reasons for their statements and who are protected from DeLay's legendary wrath.
Only one House Republican -- moderate Rep. Chris Shay of Connecticut, who often finds himself at odds with his caucus' leadership -- has publicly said anything negative about DeLay's ongoing problems, last weekend calling for his resignation because he was hurting the Republican majority and GOP members up for re-election.
When asked by UPI if DeLay's ongoing problems are hurting the GOP, moderate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Tuesday that the issue is a matter for House Republicans.
"I don't know if he is or not," said McCain." I am not judging that."
Whether such deference will continue remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, the DeLay may ride out the problems, but the issue is not likely to disappear anytime soon.
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