I guess that balloon didn't float

What can you say about the sacrifices Tom DeLay is prepared to make for his party?

Lawmakers and House officials said Republicans, meeting behind the closed doors of the House chamber, had acted at the request of the House majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay, who had been the intended beneficiary of the rule change.

Right.

But wait, what about this?

The sudden reversal came amid growing indications of dissension within the GOP. Just before House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's office announced that the measures were being dropped, the chairman of the House ethics committee issued an unusual statement denouncing the leadership's plan.

I guess some House GOP members got an earful from the voters when they went home for the holidays.

"Constituents reacted," [Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz.] said. "We're blessed with a leadership that listens."

Not to worry, though, I wouldn't expect any further investigations of DeLay or others in the House leadership.

Republicans voted to go ahead with another of their controversial ethics proposals and will ask the full House to approve a change that could curtail ethics committee investigations. Under the change, a Republican vote would be required before an inquiry can begin. The committee is evenly divided between the two parties, and under current rules a deadlock means an investigation begins automatically.