Boehner and the Hammer

With DeLay under a legal cloud, education panel chairman is one to watch.

He’s already leading the House education committee, but Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, may have his eyes on something bigger.

Rep. Boehner, the chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is seen as a top contender for the position of House majority leader, if that spot becomes permanently vacant.

After being indicted on Sept. 28 on charges related to his political action committee, including money laundering, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas was temporarily forced to step down from his leadership post and won’t regain it unless he is cleared of the allegations. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is filling in as the top Republican floor leader for Mr. DeLay, whose forceful political tactics have earned him...