Report: Hastert to resign, not retire

[Perky]

According to the Evans-Novak Political Report, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will be resigning from Congress in November, instead of retiring at the end of his term. If true, this could have significant ramifications in determining his successor.

A shortened special election campaign would likely benefit the candidates with the highest name recognition and the deepest pockets. Among Republicans, that status belongs to dairy owner Jim Oberweis, who has run unsuccessfully in three previous statewide bids for governor and for the Senate.

Conservative state Sen. Chris Lauzen is Oberweis’ main challenger, but he has feuded with Hastert in the past. Several Illinois Republicans speculate that Hastert’s decision to resign stems from wanting to help Oberweis win the nomination.

The flipside is that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) could opt to hold the special general election on the same day as the presidential primary in Illinois, where home-state Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is on the ballot.

A higher Democratic turnout for Obama could boost the party’s prospects in a special election. Physicist Bill Foster, who has the ability to self-finance a campaign, is currently the Democrats’ leading candidate.

[MADem]

1. Eh??? Does HE need to meet with his defense attorneys, too? NT

[havocmom]

5. Ney's assistant probably not the only one to wear a wire to work for the FBI.

Lots of ambitious young worker bees probably made an easy choice between ideology and their personal asses when Men in Black came to discuss some tips they got from Abramoff. ;)

[MADem]

11. Well, maybe some of those delightful young staffer-roommates of Fat Denny's weren't all that loyalNT

[undeterred]

2. Sensenbrenner, watch carefully

monkey see, monkey do... time for all you pasty old dorks to retire

[madrchsod]

7. you mean batshit crazy senselessbrenner....?

ya he needs to go does`t he...

[undeterred]

10. no reason for him to hang around any more

he's committee chairman of nothing

[BuyingThyme]

3. http://www.john08.com/

http://www.john08.com/

[Buzz Clik]

4. He's not going anywhere until he finds his car keys.

He accidentally dropped them in his jowls and they simply disappeared. He'll be contacting the search and rescue team as soon as they're done in Utah.

[madrchsod]

6. the milkman.....oh this is going to be interesting

i wonder if the big guys and gals will come in and help the democrats take this...i`m ready for a change in this district

[KoKo]

8. Wow...this is interesting....what's about to come out.. Hastert to resign with Dem Govenor

in place? Unless he has some major health problem, it's very odd.

[marions ghost]

9. kinda unusual???

:popcorn:

Has dirt come out?

[Robbien]

12. Hastert really hates having his majority status taken away

Everyone used to beg for a second of his time. Now he sits in the shadows and whines.

And of course he is worried about all the dirty deals he made while in the Speaker seat.