Shaun Kenney points us to a Time article that is racing around the net and reveals that Tom DeLay is stepping down. DeLay did some good things, but it certainly seemed like his time had passed. Good for him to step down now instead of hang on too long. He’s also giving up Texas residency to live in Virginia. (Welcome!)

So what will he do in the meantime? If you believe Time, its not becoming a lobbyist (the folly of too many Hill politicians.) Instead he will “pursue an aggressive speaking and organizing campaign aimed at promoting foster care, Republican candidates and a closer connection between religion and government.”

Although the Texas GOP will be allowed to select the replacement candidate, I would point out that there is already one conservative candidate with experience winning congressional elections in the race.

UPDATE: I tracked down the interview that Time did. Here’s the link. One of the interesting things was finding a local angle in DeLay’s Christianity…

TIME: When did you accept Jesus as your Lord and savior, and how does that affect your daily life?

DeLay: I was baptized when I was 12 and immediately walked away from him. (Laughs) And did not walk with him until I got in Congress. When I was elected to Congress, I was a self-centered jerk. Representative Frank Wolf, a Republican of Virginia, had a ministry. He would go to door to door to each freshman. He’d come in and talk to you and invite you to a Bible study and show you a James Dobson video called, “Where’s Daddy?” And every bad thing that he was talking about was me. And it really got my attention and it had a profound impact on me, made me really look at who I was and what I was doing. I started going to that Bible study. That’s when I came back to Christ, and have been with him ever since. That was 22 years ago. And I’ve been maturing ever since.

Frank Wolf is a Northern Virginia rep, and one of those few genuinely good people you meet in the higher levels of politics. I wish I could claim him as my rep, but I’m proud to claim him as a Virginian.