ST. PAUL—Earlier today, we saw former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert speak at a luncheon on housing issues put on by the celebrity/artist advocacy group Creative Coalition, where the one-time wrestling coach sung the praises of green buildings and green architects.
Responding to an architect who asked him about his profession’s role in creating Read More
Dennis Hastert, the Republican Party's longest serving speaker of the House, will retire at the end of his term, according to various news reports.
The Associated Press is confirming what several Illinois papers have been reporting: that Hastert, a representative from Illinois, will formally announce his retirement on Friday.
This could be interesting.
Former public advocate candidate Andrew Rasiej, who now works for the Sunlight Foundation , is planning to launch a muckraking project in January focusing on lawmakers in New York.
The idea of their mission is to take hard-to-access public information about lawmakers and the legislative process, make it digitally Read More
Bocly Bust
To the Editor:
It’s sad, really, that the editors of The Observer thought the ditzy, disrespectful and lazy Charlotte Bocly worthy of all the column space they gave her story [“I Am Charlotte Bocly,” George Gurley, Oct. 23]. The overriding feeling I experienced after reading her profile was dismay.
Tayt Harlin
Manhattan
House Speaker Dennis Hastert is number 1…on Rolling Stone’s list of 10 Worst Congressmen.
The choices aren’t exactly surprising, given the authors of the list: nearly all of the magazine’s choices are Republicans.
Still, a fun concept.
Along with a pithy explanation for each dubious honor is a picture of the congressman that morphs Read More
By now, Americans should know that when Republican Congressional leaders talk about “family values,” they mean the values of the Soprano family. Like the mobsters on HBO, the Republicans rat each other out when things get sticky—and they, too, have considerable difficulty in getting their stories straight.
Listening to the Capitol Hill gang explain how Read More
Remember moral clarity?
That was the most hotly advertised Republican virtue of the high Bush era, from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to the dawn of the Iraq War on through to Campaign ’04. It was the near-mystical ability to mark enemies as evildoers, and to dismiss critics as appeasers, relativists and/or Read More
Remember moral clarity?
That was the most hotly advertised Republican virtue of the high Bush era, from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to the dawn of the Iraq War on through to Campaign ’04. It was the near-mystical ability to mark enemies as evildoers, and to dismiss critics as appeasers, relativists Read More
How high is the Foley scandal reaching? The Washington Times , usually a safe haven for all things conservative, has a not-so-subtle editorial saying Dennis Hastert should resign as Speaker of the House.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once. Either he Read More
Representative William Jefferson (D., Mo.) has no hot money stashed in his office. For when the F.B.I. raided it, they found $90,000 in cash in his freezer, cool as could be.
Some of us keep our serious money in checking accounts, though this involves tedious recordkeeping. Some of us carry rolls in our pockets, to Read More
