So, You Gonna Run? That's A Big Ney Ga Tory

Ok, so we've been reading about how the democrats are all excited because they think they're going to take back Congress from the Republicans (and Joe Lieberman) but we thought it was because they planned to win elections. Turns out it's because the Republicans aren't going to run in the first place.

Now there's a campaign strategy.

U.S. Representative Bob Ney, under scrutiny in a corruption scandal involving convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, announced that he was abandoning his re-election campaign. "Tom DeLay said he could get me on at his lobbying firm, and I figured I've milked this gig for about all it was worth," Ney told reporters.

The Republican had earlier insisted he would not resign, even if indicted over his dealings with Abramoff. "I'd like to state once again for the record, that I do not know Jack," Ney insisted. "Ultimately this decision came down to my family. Or as we like to call ourselves, La Cosa Neystra."

Ney faced a tough challenge in November from Democrat Zack Space, a law director who had made the Justice Department's investigation into Ney a focus of his campaign. "Look, how can we expect to have a debate about the issues when all Space wants to talk about is how Bob is about to get arrested," said Ney spokeswoman Katie Harbath. "Like that's so unusual or something."

Federal prosecutors have described Ney in court documents as having received gifts, trips and other things of value from Abramoff and his associates. "Bob's a likeable guy," Harbath said. "People like to give him things. What's wrong with that? I mean besides the whole buying Congress thing."

"Bob Ney was forced out of this race by the reality of an electorate demanding change from the culture of corruption in Washington and a Congress that compulsively puts special interests first at every opportunity," said Tom Delay from his Texas campaign headquarters in Virginia. "I mean, it's a democratic witch hunt."