May's GOP Asshat of the Month
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert may have just earned the distinction as the longest-serving Republican House Speaker in American history, but that doesn't save him from the far less prestigious crown of Republican Asshat of the Month. For all of the Republicans' problems, particularly on the ethics front, the controversy regarding New Orleans Democrat William Jefferson was positively heaven-sent from the GOP standpoint. After months of embarrassments regarding the investigation and indictment of multiple Republican Congressmen, here was Jefferson, a Democrat caught on videotape taking $100,000 worth of bribes which was later discovered hidden away in the freezer in his home. Yet with this golden opportunity handed on a silver platter to Hastert and the GOP, Hastert manages to take the Jefferson scandal right out of the headlines by calling in question the legality of the search.
Ordinarily, I would applaud a politician standing on principle like this, particularly when said politician crosses party lines to stand up for a persecuted member of the opposition, but in this situation, Hastert's reasoning was flawed and his motives appear to be insincere. Hastert's grievance was based upon some archaic rule regarding the executive branch (in this case, the Attorney General's office) not having the authority to raid a federal legislator's office. I'm certainly not an expert on the laws regarding separation of powers in our Constitution, but those who are, both on the left and the right, are unanimous in the verdict that such a search may be unprecedented in modern times, but is certain to be upheld on constitutional grounds.
With the hard-nosed partisan times that we live in, red flags went up all over when Dennis Hastert thrust himself in the spotlight to condemn the search of a corrupt Democrat's office. Why would Denny Hastert be so worried about the prospect of state officials searching Congressional offices? In a twist worthy of "The Tell Tale Heart", it appears there may be a cardiovascular organ figuratively pulsating out of Hastert's own Congressional office. ABC News revealed two weeks ago that Hastert is himself the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI, "seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress.......
"Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes. The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time."
Dennis Hastert has always been a horrible politician. The only reason he's survived as long as he has is because he's been content to be Tom DeLay's sock puppet, comfortably below the radar of the public eye. With DeLay and the Machiavellian discipline he brought to the House GOP caucus now out of the picture, Hastert is apparently being forced to sink or swim on his own at the most inconvenient time for his party. Judging from his inept handling of the Jefferson office raid, it seems far more likely that the former wrestling coach will be sinking rather than swimming.
Ordinarily, I would applaud a politician standing on principle like this, particularly when said politician crosses party lines to stand up for a persecuted member of the opposition, but in this situation, Hastert's reasoning was flawed and his motives appear to be insincere. Hastert's grievance was based upon some archaic rule regarding the executive branch (in this case, the Attorney General's office) not having the authority to raid a federal legislator's office. I'm certainly not an expert on the laws regarding separation of powers in our Constitution, but those who are, both on the left and the right, are unanimous in the verdict that such a search may be unprecedented in modern times, but is certain to be upheld on constitutional grounds.
With the hard-nosed partisan times that we live in, red flags went up all over when Dennis Hastert thrust himself in the spotlight to condemn the search of a corrupt Democrat's office. Why would Denny Hastert be so worried about the prospect of state officials searching Congressional offices? In a twist worthy of "The Tell Tale Heart", it appears there may be a cardiovascular organ figuratively pulsating out of Hastert's own Congressional office. ABC News revealed two weeks ago that Hastert is himself the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI, "seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress.......
"Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes. The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time."
Dennis Hastert has always been a horrible politician. The only reason he's survived as long as he has is because he's been content to be Tom DeLay's sock puppet, comfortably below the radar of the public eye. With DeLay and the Machiavellian discipline he brought to the House GOP caucus now out of the picture, Hastert is apparently being forced to sink or swim on his own at the most inconvenient time for his party. Judging from his inept handling of the Jefferson office raid, it seems far more likely that the former wrestling coach will be sinking rather than swimming.
posted by Mark at 4:40 PM
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