WASHINGTON — Politicians are not always the most courageous lot. The first whiff of scandal, the first taint of defeat, usually makes them run - hence the popular saying that if you want a friend in this town, get a dog.
But Republicans in the House have not run from Tom DeLay, who, like Bill Clinton before him, has defied political gravity in recent months. Three of his former aides have been indicted in an investigation of campaign fund-raising practices; a close lobbyist friend is under criminal investigation; the House ethics committee is preparing to reconsider allegations that Mr. DeLay and his staff members violated travel rules.
Rather than try to protect themselves and engineer a coup, Republican members are throwing a tribute party for him this week. President Bush is also standing firm, even taking him along on Air Force One.
Raising a simple question: Why?
His supporters say that Mr. DeLay, the House majority leader, has done nothing wrong - that he's the target of unfair attacks from Democrats bent on partisan revenge. Yet the volume of outspoken support also speaks to the strong personal loyalty many have for Mr. DeLay. How is it that he is more popular among Republicans than, say, President Bush's proposals for Social Security?
The reason, it seems, is that over the years, brick by brick, Mr. DeLay has built a wall of political support. His small acts of kindness have become lore. Pizza during late night votes. Travel arrangements for low-level lawmakers. Birthday wishes, get-well cards, condolences for House members in emotional need.
On a larger scale, friends - and enemies - describe him as a favor-trader extraordinaire, piling up a mountain of goodwill. Almost every Republican in the House owes Mr. DeLay for something - a job, a piece of legislation or a large campaign contribution.
While the familiar Democratic caricature of Tom DeLay is that of a red-cheeked tyrant who started out as a bug exterminator and rose to power in Congress with a force that earned him the nickname "the Hammer," it is his cannier, more responsive side that appears to have won such a robust defense.
The powerful are indebted to him. J. Dennis Hastert was a relatively little-known representative from Illinois before Mr. DeLay catapulted him into the speaker's job in 1998.
The weak owe him as well. For the most imperiled Republican members of the House, Mr. DeLay created the "retain our majority" program, or ROMP.
His home state delegation is duty-bound because of his drive to redistrict Texas seats in favor of his party. K Street, the main drag for Washington's lobbyists, is home to many former DeLay staff members, as are Texas-based oil concerns (for which he has fought off stricter environmental standards).
And George W. Bush? Mr. Delay has pressed his Republican majority relentlessly to support the president's far-reaching legislation.
Clearly, Mr. DeLay has a geographic and ideological influence over broad swaths of his party that other politicians can only dream of.
"He is an extraordinary psychologist in knowing what makes members tick and what makes members successful," says Representative Tom Feeney, a Florida Republican who is an ardent DeLay defender and is also under scrutiny for his own travel. "Tom knows every member's district, he knows their needs politically, he knows their interests, their policy situations, he almost always understands their family situations."
Almost every Republican has an anecdote, including Representative Feeney. "My mom passed away on Jan. 30," he says. "The first person to send me flowers and a note was my good friend Tom DeLay."
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/weekinreview/08korn.html?hp&ex=1115524800&en=208a0606ef4a123a&ei=5094&partner=homepage