It's hard for the White House to regain momentum if the Congress is in disarray. It ties up the Republicans in Congress and limits their ability to execute any White House agenda.

People have real reservations about the Republicans, but they aren't clear what the Democrats stand for. There is a widely perceived general disarray in the Democratic Party. It's too early yet for a leader to emerge.

He's going to be an influential insider in the U.S. House and will continue to be consulted. And really, he will continue to inspire some awe and not a little fear — at least until this thing plays out a little further and Republican members can make their judgments about whether DeLay will come back.

You've got a Republican White House; you've got Republicans in control of Congress. It should be smooth sailing.

Since the late 1920s Texas has almost consistently had a member of the high leadership in either the House or Senate or both. We simply don't have that anymore.

We elect Democrats to the Congress to give us stuff and we elect Republicans to the White House so we don't have to pay for it