From the DWT "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Dept.: Planet Denny Just Keeps Rolling Along

The Washington Post's Al Kamen offers this tasty tidbit in today's "In the Loop" column (presented to you without additional comment):

Hastert Way Ahead of the Story

Some lawmakers pay a lot of attention to their Web sites. Others less so. Up until just the other day--sources say Monday--House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert 's site was highlighting an Aug. 29 news release about how "Hastert Drives Effort to 'Keep Kids Safe in Cyberspace.'"

Seems Hastert had put together a meeting at a high school in his Illinois district featuring law enforcement officials, Internet experts and parents "to share information and insights on protecting children from Online predators."

"Recent news stories remind us that there are predators using the Internet to target children," Hastert is quoted as saying. "And just as we warn our children about 'stranger danger' when they are at the park or answering the door or telephone, we need to be aware of potential dangers in Cyberspace." And of even greater dangers in the House of Representatives.

But the lead news item on Hastert's home page now is about an effort by the Potawatomi tribe to run a bingo operation in Shabbona, Ill. The headline: "Hastert: Gaming in Shabbona a Long Way From Reality," in part because the tribe hasn't even gotten recognition from the federal government that the proposed site is a reservation.