HASTERT TOO SCARED TO FACE JOHN LAESCH AGAIN?

According to Robert Novak's latest column Planet Denny Hastert "has indicated to a close former aide that it is likely he will not run for a 12th term from his northern Illinois district and may even resign from Congress before his present term concludes." Novak doesn't tie another item, the one he closes his column with, to Hastert. It involves the huge upset in Georgia's 10th congressional district where Charlie Norwood's anointed establishment successor, State Senator Jim Whitehead was beaten by a right wing insurgent Republican appealing to Democrats to teach the GOP establishment a lesson. "Although the seat will remain in Republican hands," writes Novak, "Whitehead's unexpected loss terrified those incumbent Republican House members who had thought themselves safe for re-election in 2008."

Despite the face-saving palaver about how happy Planet Denny is to not be Speaker of the House-- or even in the Republican leadership-- any longer, and how much he just loves toiling away in then trenches just like everyone else, it is well-known on Capitol Hill that Hastert can't wait to bail. He already tried resigning after the Republican debacle at the polls in November but Bush personally convinced him to stay on for another term.

He would have loved to have been able to leave his seat to one of his reprobate sons, Joshua, a lobbyist trading off his father's (former) speakership, and Ethan a posterchild for serial DUIs (and a former headshop owner), but that dream went up in... smoke.

Instead Hastert's making a bid-- and from all appearances, with Novak's fumbling assistance-- to get his chief of staff, Mike Stokke, into the job. Novak clumsily adds a "footnote" falsely insinuating Stokke is a leading candidate to succeed Hastert. He isn't. The Republicans in IL-14 are already at war amongst themselves and Stokke isn't really even in the game. Right wing extremist Pete Lauzen tried to talk another far right kook, multimillionaire ice cream king Jim Oberweis, out of running last month. They suggested that Oberweis instead commit a version of political seppaku by running against Dick Durbin for Senate. Oberweis responded my immediately filing papers to run.

IL-14 has been a safe Republican bastion; it was designed that way. But even that bastion has been trending away from the GOP. Last year first time candidate John Laesch did better against Hastert than anyone has since 1986 when he was first elected. In 2004 Hastert won with 69% and in 2002 he had 74%. Since starting to run as an incumbent, he's averaged over 70%. Running a 100% grassroots campaign, with no assistance or even recognition from the DCCC, Iraq vet and union carpenter John Laesch held him to 60%, Planet Denny's worst showing since being elected-- and forced him to spend over $5 million dollars. Laesch spent $306,000. In other words, not counting outside spending, each vote Hastert got cost him $45.51. Laesch spent less than $4 on each vote he got. That kind of money is only available to people who can dole out what a Speaker or Majority Leader can dole out; and that's not Hastert any more.