[GOP Corruption]

Hammered.

For Tom DeLay, yesterday's battle may have been more important than his war against Ronny Earle. He was in court to fight to have the indictments of money-laundering and fraud against him dropped. He failed:

A Texas judge upheld a felony indictment yesterday of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) on charges of money laundering in connection with the Texas election in 2002, while dismissing a separate DeLay indictment for allegedly conspiring with aides to violate the state's election law that year.

The decision to let stand the money-laundering charge, which carries a more severe penalty, was a blow to DeLay, whose lawyers had hoped the judge would dismiss all counts in the indictments.

There has been widespread talk that if DeLay isn't cleared by January, he won't be returning to the leadership. His court case yesterday was his last chance to get cleared--because the case is moving forward, he'll definitiely still be under indictment in a month's time.

It may be academic. Check this out:

Close to half of the registered voters in a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll said they would be likely to vote for an unnamed Democratic opponent next year....

The poll also found that 55 percent of the registered voters in Texas' 22nd Congressional District believe the charges against the former House majority leader are definitely or probably true.

It's easier for DeLay to be trailing by 12 points against an unnamed Dem than a named one, but this is still shocking news. The Hammer's day--whether he wins re-election or not--is done.

(Though for an amusing counterpoint--"Earle got humiliated yesterday"--here's what the true believers are saying.)