Bush: I'm proud to be standing with Hastert
President Bush underscored his support for embattled U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert in Chicago on Thursday, standing with him and praising his leadership.
Bush was the headline draw for the million-dollar fund-raiser to benefit Republicans Peter Roskam and David McSweeney, with the outcome possibly determining which party controls the House.
Bush was the headline draw for the million-dollar fund-raiser to benefit Republicans Peter Roskam and David McSweeney, with the outcome possibly determining which party controls the House.
But the long-planned event took on major political significance because it took place as Hastert is in the fight of his political life amid calls he step down for the way he and his top staff handled the congressional page scandal involving former U.S. Rep Mark Foley.
(Charles Dharapak/AP)
But the long-planned event took on major political significance because it took place as Hastert is in the fight of his political life amid calls he step down for the way he and his top staff handled the congressional page scandal involving former U.S. Rep Mark Foley.
"I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the House, who is going to be the future speaker of the House,'' said Bush in his half-hour speech. "Speaker Denny Hastert has a long record of accomplishment.''
Bush said, "This country is better off with Denny Hastert as the speaker, and it will be better off when he is the speaker the next legislative session.''
Bush's praise for Hastert was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the 400 people who paid at least $1,000 a head to attend the fund-raiser at the Hilton Chicago.
Neither Roskam, of Wheaton, nor McSweeney, of Barrington Hills, shied away from appearing on stage with Bush or Hastert.
McSweeney, who is seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean in the 8th District, sat next to Hastert while Bush spoke. Roskam, battling Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth in the 6th District, left after the introductions to attend a debate with Duckworth at the College of DuPage. McSweeney said later that "Hastert is a man of integrity'' who "admitted that mistakes were made'' in the Foley case.
Democrats wasted no time linking Hastert's problems to their opponents. At the debate later in the evening, Duckworth said Roskam would be a "rubber stamp'' for Republican leadership.
"His position was to defend the speaker'' even though he put politics ahead of protecting children, she said.
Roskam said he believes Hastert acted properly by quickly backing an outside investigation of the House page scandal.
"In my opinion, he did the right thing by calling for the federal investigation immediately," Roskam said of Hastert.
Across the street from the hotel where Bush appeared, about 150 protesters gathered in Grant Park. "Clean the House, Dump Hastert,'' read one banner. Although most were there in opposition to the war in Iraq, Helen Boothe, 76, of Dune Acres, Ind., said the Republicans will "probably be kicked out of office because of Foley's indiscretions.''
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), the head of the page board, will meet today with the ethics committee to discuss his confrontation with Foley last November, after the parents of a former page expressed concerns about messages Foley sent their son. Shimkus has said he believed Foley would change his behavior.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, used the occasion to raise funds for Hastert's Democratic opponent, John Laesch. "Too late now, Denny. We've had enough,'' Kerry said in an e-mail to 3 million supporters.
Contributing: Lisa Donovan, Dan Rozek, AP