It's about time the left got properly organized in the fight against Tom DeLay! The Democrats need a national wave against the GOP to retake the House in 2006, and the potential backlash against the misdeeds of the House Majority Leader could provide the necessary impetus for such a campaign. The New York Times' Glen Justice reports that the first round of ads are just beginning this week.

Two left-leaning groups intend to do just that [attack DeLay] in tough advertising campaigns that attack the majority leader and highlight the scandals involving former DeLay aides and advisers.

The Campaign for America's Future, which is calling for Mr. DeLay's resignation, is spending about $75,000 to run commercials in the majority leader's home district in Texas. The advertisement opens with a man wearing cuff links and a Rolex watch walking down the stairs into a basement, where he begins washing his hands. An announcer ticks off cases surrounding Mr. DeLay as the figure tries harder and harder to get clean.

"Tom DeLay can't wash his hands of corruption by involving Congress in one family's personal tragedy," an announcer says, referring to Mr. DeLay's involvement in the Terri Schiavo case. "But Congress can certainly wash its hands of Tom DeLay."

The Public Campaign Action Fund is spending $25,000 to pressure Republican lawmakers to denounce Mr. DeLay. Those targeted include Representative Doc Hastings of Washington, the chairman of the Ethics Committee, and Representative Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, who heads fund-raising for House Republicans.

The ad involving Mr. Hastings exhorts him to "do your job and clean up Congress without delay."

Let's hope this is just the opening salvo in the case against DeLay, not the peak of progressive involvement. Millions must be spent so the American people can meet Tom DeLay and learn what modern Republicanism is really about.

[Update 8:06 PM Pacific]: Mike Allen has more on the story in tommorow's issue of The Washington Post, if you're interested.

[Update 8:26 PM Pacific]: The Hill's Alexander Bolton has a couple of DeLay stories in the Wednesday issue of the paper. First, he provides in-depth coverage of the aforementioned anti-DeLay ads run by the progressive groups. In another interesting piece, Bolton reports on DeLay's 2004 -- and possibly 2006 -- opponent in Houston.

Richard Morrison, the little-known attorney who gave House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) a tougher-than-expected race last year, is traveling to Washington next week to meet with the Democratic congressional caucus.

Morrison announced his plans in a fundraising e-mail sent to supporters yesterday. The message announced a fundraising drive “with the goal of sending Richard back to Washington in 2006 as a Congressman!”

Morrison is looking for 100 sponsors for his trip to D.C., soliciting contributions between $10 and $100.

It’s already clear that Morrison would make ethics a big issue in a race against DeLay. His website features a slew of articles critical of DeLay’s ethics, including a March 28 Wall Street Journal editorial titled “Smells Like Beltway” that concludes: “Whether Mr. DeLay violated the small print of House Ethics or campaign-finance rules is thus largely beside the point. His real fault lies in betraying the broader set of principles that brought him into office, and which, if he continues as before, sooner or later will sweep him out.”

Morrison, an environmental and consumer rights attorney, lost to DeLay last year 55 percent to 41 percent.

It's good to see Morrison making such an early start to his campaign against DeLay. Bolton reports that the Democratic leadership has yet to agree to meet with Morrison. Let's hope they get their act together and realize that a man who held DeLay to 55% while being outspent 4.6:1 ($3,143,559 to $685,935) is the horse to bet on in the 2006 race.