This morning on Fox News, former House Speaker Tom DeLay tried telling host Megyn Kelly how Republicans are focused on Hurricane Gustav, rather than their convention. He said that for President Bush, “politics is the least part of what he’s thinking about right now.” Regarding Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), DeLay said that he has “shifted his mindset away from the politics.”
Yet just a few seconds later, when Kelly again asked him about the convention, DeLay couldn’t help but let his true feelings show:
KELLY: As somebody who’s a party faithful, who’s a deep conservative, do you worry about how this will affect . . . the RNC this week, how it will affect people perceptions of the Republicans if it doesn’t go well. Help give us an idea of how you’re looking at it.
DELAY: Well, what we’re looking at is, it’s unfortunate that we’re not going to be able to have the convention that they planned, but that’s not what’s important right now.
Watch it:
Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1,600 people along the Gulf Coast. Gustav has now made landfall southwest of New Orleans as a category 2 storm, but approximately 10,000 people remain in the city.
Transcript:
MEGYN KELLY: Obviously, everyone from President Bush to Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans . . . are most concerned with the loss of life . . . they’ve already converted what were to be parties into fundraisers . . . here in St. Paul. But there was some politics to worry about, with respect to this storm and how the federal government helps handle it . . . because of what happened with Katrina.
TOM DELAY: Well, I know George W. Bush and politics is the least part of that he’s thinking about right now.
KELLY: What about John McCain?
DELAY: I think the same thing. John McCain’s a no-nonsense type guy and he has immediately, at lest from what I’ve seen in the last 24 hours, shifted his mindset away from the politics and the concern for the people on the Gulf Coast and it’s quite evident.
KELLY: As somebody who’s a party faithful, who’s a deep conservative, do you worry about how this will affect . . . the RNC this week, how it will affect people perceptions of the Republicans if it doesn’t go well. Help give us an idea of how you’re looking at it.
DELAY: Well, what we’re looking at is, it’s unfortunate that we’re not going to be able to have the convention that they planned, but that’s not what’s important right now.