Tom DeLay in His Own Words

By Stephen Pizzo, AlterNet. Posted May 16, 2002.

Read Part I: DeLay's Axis of Influence

Read Part II: DeLay's Judge Dread

Read Part III: DeLay's Godfather

Read Part IV: DeLay's Unregulated Pacific Paradise

Read Part V: DeLay's Miscellaneous Machinations

A collection of statements that Tom DeLay's has made to the press over the years:

DeLay on causes of the Columbine High School massacre:

"Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills."

DeLay on his estrangement from his own mother and siblings:

"The family thing is, is, uh, 54 years now, developing and, and at some point in time when you have a dysfunctional family, you either succumb to that dysfunction or you decide … that you need to be doing something else. ..at some point in time you just move on and, uh, try to create those relationships with other people, and keep moving forward. It's the way it goes."

DeLay on separation of church and state:

" I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think the Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not be a government church."

DeLay on religion and public policy:

"Our entire system is built on the Judeo-Christian ethic, but it fell apart when we started denying God. If you stand up today and acknowledge God, they will try to destroy you... My mission is to bring us back to the Constitution and to Absolute Truth that has been manipulated and destroyed by a liberal worldview."

"People hate the messenger. That's why they killed Christ."

"Give me one example that proves evolution. One example! You can't."

DeLay on Texas higher education:

"Don't send your kids to A&M or Baylor. Texas A&M used to be a conservative university. It's lost all of its conservatism, and it's renounced its traditions. It's really sad. My daughter went there, you know, she had horrible experiences with coed dorms and guys who spent the weekends in the rooms with girls, and all this kind of stuff went on there. It's just unbelievable."

DeLay on politics:

"George W. is really saying the same things we are, only we are saying them differently."

"The judges need to be intimidated, they need to uphold the Constitution. If they don't behave, we're going to go after them in a big way."

DeLay on himself:

"I look mean because I have squinty eyes and I get passionate. But it comes across as mean on camera."

"I am still trying to drive the president. I am not gonna sit back and let things happen."

"I wanted to be Speaker (of the House.) My ego did. And God did not want me to. It took me three or four days of praying and really thinking."

Read Part I: DeLay's Axis of Influence

Read Part II: DeLay's Judge Dread

Read Part III: DeLay's Godfather

Read Part IV: DeLay's Unregulated Pacific Paradise

Read Part V: DeLay's Miscellaneous Machinations

Investigative journalist Stephen Pizzo's bestselling book, "Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans," is now available as an ebook.

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