The American Spectator

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Menaced Dennis

6.1.06 @ 12:01AM

ALL HASTERT BREAKS LOOSE
Re: Quin Hillyer's Hastert La Vista, Baby!:

I've got boxes and packing peanuts if somebody's got a truck and a dolly...
-- Mark Stewart
Jacksonville, Florida

Everything Quin Hillyer says is absolutely true -- every word of it. However, since Dennis Hastert is my very large elephant, I have trouble finding a lot of fault with his actions over the last eight years. It has been a comfort to know that while the preening, prancing Republican Senators could not be counted on for anything of importance, at least the House was getting work done.

Now a couple of questions for Mr. Hillyer: Did the mainstream press carp at Tom Foley's methods of getting his party's agenda through? I don't remember any of those hit pieces, do you? Wouldn't it be nice if "our" pressies and commentators would go a little easier on Mr. Hastert? Why must Republicans eat their own?

I agree the Speaker over-reacted to the FBI search of Jefferson's office, but that combined with many other attacks on Mr. Hastert, only points up his need for a vacation. Let's give him a rest and go after the pols who really need a roughing up -- the denizens of the Senate!

You leave my Dennis alone, please.
-- Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky

A thoughtful and well-written reminder of how Hastert and Co. have gone astray. Our Founding Fathers were indeed prescient. Their remarkable document has withstood not only the test of time, but also various attacks by Congressional hacks whose prime obligation is to the very document they seek to distort.

You claim that some of the Founders were against term limits for Congress; that may indeed be so. However, I doubt that even these intellectual giants could have foreseen the practice by professional politicians to rig districts by gerrymandering so as to deprive the "citizenry to choose its favorite representatives." With perhaps only 20 Congressional districts out of 435 in "play," I suspect our Founders might have a jaundiced view of this faux "competitive" process.
-- A. DiPentima

We can soft-pedal the effects of illegal immigrants overrunning our country, to the tune of unreported billions of dollars in taxes for which legitimate U.S. citizens are held harshly accountable, regardless of their origins, but let one Congressman be held accountable for his criminal acts and all Hastert breaks loose. The Republicans warn us of the consequences of Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker of the House, should us ignorant rubes and hicks fail to support them in November. However, at least Nancy Pelosi can be entertaining, in contrast to some fat non-entity whose strongest position to date, other than Pro-Pork, is Pro-Congressional Criminality.

(Official notice to all U.S. citizens, especially the Republican base: That is not a Seinfeld marathon you have been watching in Washington since the Contract With America Revolution in 1994. That actually IS the REAL U.S. Government, led by Republicans, in actual action).
-- Gene Wright
Supporting Kramer for President in '08 (could he do worse?)
Laguna Niguel, California

I absolutely agree, it is long past time for this blundering, lukewarm RINO to step aside. His vigorous defense of a blatantly corrupt Democrat really is the straw that broke the camel's back. When he decided to defend Wiliam Jefferson, he really stepped in it, and that stink isn't going to go away anytime soon. What a shame that Republicans are giving credence to the Democrats' charge of "a culture of corruption."
-- G. Sorrentino
Enterprise, Alabama

Mr. Hillyer's article is one that contains a great deal of good common sense ideas and judgments. I find myself in agreement with it in several particulars. Mr. Hillyer comes up a bit short in a couple of points, however.

The first one may seem minor or picky, but I think not. He cites the late night abomination of a vote on a House bill as a prime example of Hastert's rule by brute force. Well, sir, that was the only way that Hastert (and Tom DeLay) could get that particular piece of George Bush's agenda passed, as such a large number of conservative Republicans were against it. I certainly hope that tactic will NOT be used again in order to pass a compromise immigration bill containing amnesty and citizenship for illegals as George Bush wants.

Secondly, Mr. Hillyer needs to redo some of his historical research on Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and how they performed in office. Mr. Hillyer states; "Thus did Hastert institute a culture of brute power in the House divorced from both rules and tradition, not to mention consistency."

Mr. Hillyer, have you ever heard of Speaker Sam Rayburn, or Speaker Tip O'Neill? These two men alone held the post long enough to have established "tradition" in performing the duties of the office. These two men are considered giants in the long line of Speakers of the House. These two men used any and all techniques necessary to pass legislation at a given time. In fact, I would propose that Hastert's main failing has been in NOT using brute force to replace RINOs that hold committee chairs.

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