Since Time broke the story I haven’t found anything the mainstream news coverage too objectionable. Seems that everyone’s getting the story right: The guilty plea of Tony Rudy combined with slipping poll numbers in his solid Republican district made it tactically correct for DeLay to step down.

I will say that all the celebrating on the left-wing blogs seems a bit premature. The short-term result of DeLay’s decision is that Republicans can replace him with a candidate who’s guaranteed to win his district. Whether his decision will help the Democrats in the long run more than his sticking around would have is much more uncertain.