House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, blasting congressional and media critics of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, said yesterday that the constant drumbeat of attacks on the Pentagon chief was undermining the war effort.

"What worries me is that we are aiding and abetting the enemy," DeLay told Lt. Col. Oliver North, who was filling in on Sean Hannity's ABC Radio network broadcast.

He also released a statement yesterday. Note the implicit threat to other lawmakers.

Compare that to what Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE), John McCain (R-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Trent Lott (R-MS) said in recent days:

Hagel. The troops in Iraq "deserved a far better answer than that flippant response" than what Rumsfeld gave as an answer to a question about why there was a lack of armored vehicles.

McCain. "No confidence."

Collins. From a letter to Rumsfeld: "The Department of Defense still has been unable to ensure that our troops have the equipment they need to perform their mission as safely as possible."

Lott. "I'm not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers." The AP further quoted him as saying, "I would like to see a change in that slot in the next year or so. I'm not calling for his resignation, but I think we do need a change at some point."