First the previous chairman of the ethics panel (Rep. Joel Hefley [R-CO]) left in January. At about the same point, the House GOP watered down the chamber's ethics rules. In May, the House backtracked on the rules changes, but stalemate continued within the panel over staffing issues. Now, as The New York Times' Philip Shenon reports, the drama continues.

The chairman of the House ethics committee, Representative Doc Hastings, Republican of Washington, is warning that he may resign from the post this summer because of a stalemate of months with Democrats over whether and how to conduct investigations of Representative Tom DeLay and other lawmakers, Republican Congressional officials said.

They said Mr. Hastings had told colleagues privately in recent weeks that he might step down out of frustration with what he considered intractability of Democrats on the panel and their repeated public attacks on his leadership.

The committee is deadlocked over several issues, including staffing for the committee, and has been unable to pursue investigations of Mr. DeLay, the majority leader, or anyone else. House Republican officials say the departure of Mr. Hastings and the appointment of a new chairman could mean months of additional delay before the committee is able to resume any of its investigative work.

Mr. Hastings has also faced criticism in recent weeks over newly disclosed documents that show he has worked closely for years with lobbyists at a Seattle-based law firm that is under scrutiny because of its ties to Mr. DeLay. The firm's former star lobbyist arranged lavish overseas trips for Mr. DeLay, a Texas Republican.

Any turnover in committee leadership could delay new ethics investigations for months, pushing the issue further into the 2006 election cycle. With the Hammer, the Duke stir and Jim McDermott all facing possible queries, the summer of 2006 could turn into a real bloodletting.