Well Here's A BIG Surprise. (Snark Intended)

Speaker Largely Silent Amid Scandal

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 17, 2006; Page A01

With his affable demeanor and his open-door policy, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert remains unchallenged in the most powerful post in Congress, even as a growing corruption scandal roils the Republican leadership and more Congress-watchers say the speaker bears some responsibility for the troubles that have developed on his watch.

As details emerged about unsavory dealings between lobbyists and lawmakers -- including his top lieutenant, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) -- the House speaker stood on the sidelines. As DeLay's legal peril mounted, Hastert backed him at every turn, attempting to change House rules to allow an indicted leader to stay in power and even altering the leadership of the ethics committee, which had been exposing misconduct by the majority leader.

Not surprising actions and inactions by the man third in line for the presidency. The fact that Dennis is a willing tool of the right is compounded by his complicity in the corruption of his party. Whether he is directly involved or indirectly involved his name should be more prominent in the debate about these issues.

With Delay's downward spiral into political Gehenna, Hastert has become the , unpleasant, face of the House Republicans. How accountable for the actions of his party members should Hastert be? One would hope that the Speaker from Illinois will salvage whatever self- respect that exists in the House by pushing to reinstitute the Ethics Committee. Unfortunately that does not seem likely.