TOP STORY

Whither Hastert?

By Thomas Jeffrey

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Article Posted: Monday January 23, 2006

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Since 1999, when the Republican Caucus had had enough of the bastard and kicked Newt Gingrich to the curb, J. Dennis Hastert has retained the post of Speaker of the House with nary a challenger.

But that may all soon change.

With Tom DeLay out of the way, some are now turning their focus to Hastert, the one man who made it possible for the ethically challenged Sugar Land Texan to get away with so much while on the Speaker’s watch in the House of Representatives. From him pushing for changes in House ethics guidelines, allowing for DeLay to remain in his position as Majority Leader, to his unwavering backing and support of DeLay until the bitter end, Hastert’s hands are definitely dirty, perhaps to the point that even an entire bar of Lava couldn’t get them clean.

The most egregious example of Mr. Hastert falling victim to the charms of the Sharp Dressed Man came back in 2003, when the Speaker, acting on behalf of one of Jack Abramoff’s tribal clients, attached his signature to a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, arguing against giving casino rights to a competing Indian tribe. The letter followed a fundraiser given for Hastert just days before at Abramoff’s downtown D.C. restaurant, Signatures.

And now some Republican staffers are coming forward and speaking off the record, taking issue with the Speaker’s missteps and arguing that his congenial manner and non-confrontational approach to leadership are the main reasons for allowing the House to sink into the ethical morass that it now finds itself in.

Perhaps tellingly, it’s only been recently that the Speaker has come out in support of sweeping lobbyist reform, well after the scope and magnitude of the Abramoff scandal had became apparent. Just last week, he persuaded Ohio Republican Bob Ney to temporarily step down from his chairmanship of the House Administration Committee in light of his ties to Abramoff, and has joined a bipartisan effort to tighten the rules on lobbyist access to lawmakers.

But I think that this all may be too little, too late for Speaker Hastert. If the GOP wants to repair its tarnished image with their constituents, it needs to be a thorough house cleaning and not just a spot here or there.

In fact, probably nothing short of an enema would suffice for this bunch.

Source:
Speaker Largely Silent Amid Scandal – Washington Post

- posted by: Thomas Jeffrey and Jan 23, 02:45 PM in Corruption GOP

 

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