Exit polls confirmed that growing opposition to the war in Iraq was a decisive factor in the recent general election. However, the polls found that concerns about a government grown corrupt and indifferent to the public interest were a close second.

No matter how one dissects the elections, one must marvel at the effects wrought by a single politician, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

DeLay, who lost his leadership post after his indictment in Texas on campaign finance charges, resigned his seat this summer when his chances for re-election came to reside somewhere between doubtful and nil. His previous decision to seek the GOP nomination for re-election to a seat he would later abandon prevented Republican Party officials from placing another candidate on the ballot. Former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson's victory in District 22 helped the Democrats to win control of the U.S. House.

DeLay was a strong supporter of the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq. DeLay's dictum that the government's first wartime duty is to cut taxes helped to add more than a $1 trillion to the national debt.

Along with Vice President Dick Cheney, DeLay explicitly equated opposition to White House policy with aid to the nation's terrorist enemies. When most Americans came to oppose the way the war was being prosecuted, many no doubt tired of having their patriotism questioned.

Perhaps DeLay's greatest contribution to the Republican defeat was his promotion of the K Street strategy, which turned the reins of government over to industry lobbyists in exchange for campaign contributions, dinners and vacation trips. Without the K Street strategy and the influence wielded by DeLay and his aides, Jack Abramoff would have been just another hustler angling for access.

While the electorate voted for change, the odds of new policies' becoming law are small. The election replaced one-party government with gridlock. In Texas, however, change already can be acutely felt. DeLay's bitter campaign to redraw Texas congressional districts replaced a Democratic majority in the Texas delegation with a Republican one. Most Texas members of Congress will be in the minority party and exert limited influence.

DeLay was able to substitute his plan for one drawn by federal judges because he used millions in corporate donations to win Republican control of the Texas House. Had he not aggressively raised and spent those corporate dollars, DeLay would not have been indicted and might still be Republican leader in Congress.

Furthermore, DeLay's redistricting plan ensured the defeat of the most senior Texas Democrats in Congress. Had they remained, they would have been in line for important committee chairs and could have looked out for the agricultural and other interests important to this state's prosperity.

Seldom has one man had so much effect on the body politic.