Condition Slows DeLay Down Briefly

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) underwent tests and was treated at a hospital Thursday for what his office described as a common heart condition. He then returned to his home in Virginia and planned to go ahead with visits to three states this weekend, his office reported.

DeLay, 57, went to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., after experiencing “minor fatigue,” according to a statement from his office.

He has been treated for arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, for some time, the statement said.

“After completing a series of tests and successful treatment of the arrhythmia, I discharged Mr. DeLay so he could return to his residence and rest in comfort for the remainder of the day,” Navy Capt. Michael Curran, the hospital’s head of cardiology, was quoted in the statement as saying.

“Mr. DeLay’s personal doctor in Texas has been monitoring this common and treatable condition for years,” Curran said.

DeLay expects to maintain his schedule for this weekend, which includes traveling to Florida today to address the Club for Growth, a conservative political organization, and to Georgia on Saturday to participate in a fundraiser for Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) before returning home to Sugar Land, Texas.

The second-ranking House Republican, DeLay is popular among his colleagues for helping strengthen the party’s majority status, but he drew rebukes from the House ethics committee last year for his hard-nosed tactics.