Hastert's Team Mentality to Be Tested as Foley Scandal Unfolds

[cal04]

(snip)
Ever since an odd combination of scandal and turmoil catapulted Hastert into the speaker's job in 1999, the beefy former wrestling coach -- who's a bit bearlike himself -- has pushed House Republicans to work as a team. And he's had remarkable success. Largely unknown outside Washington, routinely underestimated as a powerless figurehead inside Washington, the accidental speaker has helped unify his fractious caucus, promote President Bush's agenda and expand the House's GOP majority.

"That rowboat is how he sees his job," said lobbyist David Thompson, a former Hastert aide. "He wakes up every morning thinking about how he can help the Republican team."

But now the Republican rowboat is leaking, and the longest-serving GOP speaker in history is at the center of the storm.

(snip)
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says Hastert is a perfect symbol of a hypocritical party that always claimed to distrust government power until it discovered it liked the taste.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/15/AR2006101501096.html

[Monkeyman]

1. ok Rahm give Laesch some dam money

[whistle]

2. Keep 'er rollin'!

[bridgit]

3. ashes, ashes all fall down...

:thumbsup: