Welcome to a very special complete box set edition of the Tom Delay story on the best of the left podcast with clips today from 2006 as Rachel

Maddow, Al Franken, the Young Turks and Slate magazine discussed Delay's initial indictment, then springing forward to 2010 and 11 clips as the Young Turks,

it's all politics, gym, high tower, and majority report, citizen radio, and countdown discussed Delay's conviction and sentencing, with a bonus video clip for our Apple iOS and Android app users from Brave New Films.

The first story on today's Rachel Maddow show, Front Page, is the biggest political bombshell to break over Washington,

and quite some time. The hammer has fallen, the exterminator is checking into the roach motel, the whip apparently is whipped, Tom Delay stepping down. Not only is he not going to run for re-election this November, he is apparently going to resign in either May or June.

We are expecting some official announcement from Delay sometime this morning, they have released a little bit of a statement from him, we've got a little audio of that that I'll be playing for you in just a moment.

In the meantime, here's what we know. Tom Delay is the guy who more than any other single Republican in Congress. Any other single Republican politician anywhere has helped shape Republican politics in Washington.

This is the guy who got them holding open votes for hours to squeeze out one last vote. This is the guy who got Republicans redistricting all the states to give their candidates an advantage in congressional elections.

This is the guy who led the impeachment of President Clinton. This is the guy who turned the whole lobbying industry in Washington into part of the Republican Party.

And yes, this is the guy who apparently had a criminal corruption and bribery operation running out of his office for much of the past decade.

It's according to the charges to which a second Tom Delay staffer just played guilty on Friday. Those court papers call Tom Delay representative number two, which is never good in court papers.

Also, it's just embarrassing to ever be called number two. Anyway, but Tom Delay's former press secretary and his former deputy chief of staff have both pled guilty.

They're both turning state's evidence. Jack Abramoff, who Tom Delay called one of my closest and dearest friends, also pled guilty, also turned state's evidence.

Tom Delay himself charged last fall with money laundering and campaign finance violations, his trial threats later this year.

He is the corruption and bribery center of the universe. So how does the mainstream media explain that he's finally quitting?

Have you taken one for the team? They're saying he's not doing this for his self. No, he just wants to be sure the Republican Party doesn't suffer a loss if he has trouble retaining his house seat this year.

Here's Chris Matthew, straining the bounds of credibility last night on MSNBC. He is one tough politician.

He is. And for him to say that he's got a throw in the towel in the interest of the party so that they can save this seat.

In the interest of the party, just to save his seat, I need to talk about corruption or his urgent need to keep himself out of prison.

Now he's just doing what's best for the party. He's an honorable strategist. If you don't buy that line then how about this one?

Mike Allen of Time Magazine says Tom Delay is resigning so we can spend more time helping orphans.

He said he wants to go out and talk about foster care, the importance of religion and government and electing more Republican.

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