Hastert stepping down after this term

[LSK]

WASHINGTON - Rep. Dennis Hastert of Illinois, who served as speaker of the House longer than any Republican in history, intends to retire next year at the end of his current term, party officials said Tuesday.
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A formal announcement is planned for Friday.

Hastert's planned retirement is likely to set off a lively scramble between the two political parties for a House seat that he has held easily since 1986.

His decision has been expected since Republicans lost control of the House last November, costing him his powerful post. He had been speaker, second in the line of presidential succession behind the vice president, for eight years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070814/ap_on_go_co/hastert

John Laesch is running again.

http://john08.com

[MADem]

1. Gee, how will he avoid his wife now? What will his excuse be? nt

[madrchsod]

7. they made over two million on a land deal

so maybe they`ll have separate houses!

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Smirk." - D.C. Madame

"I'm not saying anything. And only a cad would bring up the subject of republicons and diapers. Smirk."

- D. C. Madame

[Parche]

3. Hastert

He is going to be the New Jenny Craig Spokesman..........:hi: :shrug:

[nevergiveup]

4. If Obama is our candidate

this district might go blue but it would still be a long-shot. Hastert received 59-60% of vote in 2006 and this was after the supposed fall-out from the Foley scandal. I do not believe this district has gone blue since the Goldwater debacle of 1964.

[liberal N proud]

5. Terrible loss

NOT!

:applause:

[madrchsod]

6. is the milkman going to run?

now that would be interesting.i wonder if the democrats over there in the east are going to unite behind john ? or maybe they did make nice,out here it`s hard to find anything out. there could be an outside chance john could win if he can get the democrats and moderate republicans to vote for him...

[nevergiveup]

8. Fairly reliable word has it that the milkman

is going to run (he runs for everything) but Hastert is supposedly throwing his support to Kevin Burns, the mayor of Geneva. State Senator Chris Lauzen will nevertheless likely win the Republican primary because of longevity/name recognition. Democrat John Laesch is a great candidate and has developed an excellent support base but if Hillary is the nominee he is probably doomed in this very Republican district.

[marmar]

9. Adios. Don't let the doorknob hit your ample ass on the way out....

:nopity:

[undeterred]

10. OK Sensenbrenner, watch and learn and follow. Time to do the same.

[KharmaTrain]

11. A Real Longshot Still

I met John at YKos...and hope he gets a lot more support from the national party and the DCCC next year than he did in '06.

I used to live in that district and met Gym Teach Denny when he first took over for the late John Grotburg...and I'm glad to see this humanoid gasbag head off to pasture, finally. Looks like he might not get his private expressway he had previously earmarked.

The sad situation in that district is that until '06 there was virtually no Democratic party in that district. It is very winnable...and John knows this...if he can reach out and attract the growing hispanic and blacks in the area, but it takes money and people...two comodities John still is having big problems with.

How the worm has turned...two years ago, Hastert set up a "war room" in this area to to win additional seats in the suburban Chicago area and barely held onto what they had. There will be some high profile races in the 6th and 10th districts next year...which will pull away resources that John will need, but maybe we'll be presently surprised.