The only question now is, "How many dominoes...?"

Well, the Hammer is gone. You can see him already starting to tilt over in the photo. Since he has been remaking the House Republican machine in his image for the last five years, the Mandarin is wondering how many more shoes are waiting to drop? And dropped shoes knocking over dominoes may be a classic mixed metapor, but the Mandarin doesn't care this itme. Pop some popcorn and turn on the news!

Original photo caption: Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) attends the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland, in this February 10, 2006 file photo. DeLay, one of the most powerful members of Congress, is now ready to call it quits in the face of mounting legal problems and a tough reelection campaign. (Larry Downing/Reuters)