Comrade (Rep. Jeff Flake) tries to kill Hastert project

WASHINGTON - Rep. Jeff Flake (news, bio, voting record)'s tradition-bending crusade against his colleagues' back-home projects has many of them scratching their heads and occasionally hurling insults at him.

But what the thick-skinned Arizona Republican did Tuesday night is unheard of: He tried to kill a project sponsored by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

Hastert is the most powerful member of Congress, second in the line of succession to the presidency, and a revered figure among House Republicans.

The project in question was a $2.5 million grant to an Illinois nonprofit organization to help hi-tech companies develop new technologies for the Navy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/hastert_pet_projects

I can't say I agree with him on a lot of things, but I know he has done some work with Bernie Sanders and some really stand up people in the past. He's a whole site better than most congressional Republicans. He has some integrity anyway.

and does thwart the leadership on pork projects, and he is defiant on Cuba. He wants the embargo ended and actively organizes groups to go down there. But he whole heartedly supports all the other really evil policies such as the Iraq occupation, trickle on the poor economics and winger "family value" issues.

The gall of Hastert to send another Ill rep to the floor of the House in his stead to incredulously declare, "Do you know whose sponsoring this bill?" What hubris! They have alot of damn nerve spending taxpayer money on this kind of bullshit.

Flake is right. I've always liked him and respected the way he takes an honest look at things before expressing his views. He's got integrity and a conscience and isn't bought and paid for like the rest of the repubs. He's an independent really. Flake is justified to question this shady deal. This money should go to protecting the troops, not to financing a company run by Hastert's buddy. Fuck Hastert and the horse he rode in on. Thankfully he's in the sunset years of his life, and will hopefully croak sooner rather than later.