Your One-Stop Source for Speaker-Hastert-Says-He's-Targeted-by-Drug-Lord-Jewish-Financiers Blogging

Wow. The anti-semitism of Denny Hastert really isn't buried very deep, is it?

TPMmuckraker October 6, 2006 11:42 AM: GOPers to Hastert: Cut the Conspiracy Chatter: By Paul Kiel - October 6, 2006, 11:42 AM: On Wednesday night, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) spun tales of Democratic cabals and hidden agendas for the benefit of hungry reporters. Hastert told The Chicago Tribune that Clinton operatives knew about the allegations and were maybe behind the story's release. "I saw Bill Clinton's adviser, Richard Morris, was saying these guys knew about this all along," he said. "When the base finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy.... The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros."

But yesterday... Hastert... said, "I only know what I've seen in the press and what I've heard. There's no ultimate, real source of information, but that's what I've read. And that's what I've heard in the press."...

This morning's Tribune....

Comments that Hastert made in a Tribune interview suggesting the scandal had been orchestrated by ABC News, Democratic political operatives aligned with the Clinton White House and liberal activist George Soros were considered a serious misstep in national Republican circles, an official said. Senior Republican officials contacted Hastert's office before his news conference Thursday to urge that he not repeat the charges, and he backed away from them in his news conference. "The Chicago Tribune interview last night--the George Soros defense--was viewed as incredibly inept," a national Republican official said. "It could have been written by [comedian] Jon Stewart."

This is not the first time Hastert has seen George Soros as his bete noire:

Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine:

HASTERT: Here in this campaign, quote, unquote, "reform," you take party power away from the party, you take the philosophical ideas away from the party, and give them to these independent groups. You know, I don't know where George Soros gets his money. I don't know where--if it comes overseas or from drug groups or where it comes from. And I...

WALLACE (interrupting): Excuse me?

HASTERT: Well, that's what he's been for a number years--George Soros has been for legalizing drugs in this country. So, I mean, he's got a lot of ancillary interests out there.

WALLACE: You think he may be getting money from the drug cartel?

HASTERT: I'm saying I don't know where groups--could be people who support this type of thing. I'm saying we don't know. The fact is we don't know where this money comes from...

Josh Micah Marshall reports, correctly, that senior Democrats are not repeat not trying to force Hastert out of the leadership: they are all strongly in favor of Hastert's retaining his current position as Speaker of the House until January 21:

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: October 01, 2006 - October 07, 2006 Archives: Late Update: Number of Democratic strategists who think Denny Hastert should remain Speaker through November 7th. 100%. That's my poll, not SurveyUSA. My methodology was to think about it for about 3 seconds. But I believe the margin of error is extremely low.