Hammer Comes Down: The Nasty, Brutish and Shortened Political Life of Tom Delay Book

How did a man with a failed pest exterminating business in the Houston suburbs, a political reputation as a backbencher in the Texas legislature, and the nickname Hot Tub Tom transform himself into The Hammer, pillar of the religious right and the most powerful man in Congress? How, without guidance from oil cronies or Karl Rove nor any love from the Bushies, did he win over his Republican competitors and shut everybody else out of the political process altogether? And what exactly did he do to get himself and a lot of his buddies indicted for criminal conspiracy and money laundering? In The Hammer Comes Down, Lou Dubose and Jan Reid track DeLay's rise to the pinnacle of power, illuminating his methods, his motives, and the forces in American politics which made him a player. They lay out the schemes, dubious dealings and hubris that just might get The Hammer nailed. And they show why the changes DeLay has spearheaded in the way politics works are likely to last for at least the next quarter-century.Read More