Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
Login | What's Hot
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Rich Galen :: Townhall.com Columnist
Don't resign, Denny
by Rich Galen
Forward Print Share Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 
Poll
Was the Copenhagen Global Warming Summit Walk-Out a Win for the U.S.?


  • Sometime during the Autumn of 1986 I found myself sitting at the kitchen table of a member of the Illinois House of Representatives who was running for Congress.

  • The reason for being at that table with candidate Dennis Hastert was to rehearse for a debate with his Democratic opponent. Hastert won the debate and won the seat.

  • Shift forward 12 years. On December 19, 1998 I was sitting in a hotel room in Jakarta, Indonesia.

  • In 1998 the GOP, then led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, was supposed to pick up seats in that mid-term election, but ended up losing five despite Bill Clinton being in the throes of the Lewinsky scandal.

  • The day after that election, Newt found he had lost the confidence of his Republican colleagues and, two days later, announced he would not seek re-election to Speaker and would not take his House seat when the new Congress opened the next January.

  • Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston had the inside track and, with Newt's announcement, became the Speaker-presumptive.

  • On this particular night - late morning, in Washington, DC - the House was taking up the matter of voting on the Articles of Impeachment which had been voted out of the House Judiciary Committee chaired, at the time, by senior Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde.

  • The atmosphere on the House floor, I knew, was toxic, and when I tuned in to CNN I expected to see angry Members on both sides making their case for or against impeaching a President for only the second time in US history.

  • The first thing I heard was about a "shocker Bob Livingston." Having no frame of reference, I feared he had been in an accident, or had been physically attacked. It was neither. He had announced he would not be standing for election as Speaker and, in fact, would be resigning from the House.

  • This was December 19, a little over two weeks before the new Congress was scheduled to be sworn in. The last thing a weakened GOP needed was a leadership fight as the Senate was preparing for the trial of President Clinton.

  • The phone in my hotel room rang and it was Newt. He said, approximately this: "I need you to call the guys you talk to and tell them it's going to be Hastert." The "guys" I talked to were national political reporters.

  • I asked him if he knew where I was. He said he knew I was out of town.

    • "Out of town? I'm as far away from you as I can be and still be on the surface of the planet," I said.

    "We can't have a vacuum for Speaker, so I need you to do this."

    "Newt," I said, "there must be 10 press people within 20 feet of you. Have them do it."

    "They won't get through," he said.

    "What does that tell you about how we got to where we are?"

    "This is not the time for that discussion," he said. "Will you do it?" Continued...
    1 2
    		| Full Article & Comments | Next >
    Share:
    Forward Print Single Page
    Vote on It:
    Average Vote:
     
    About The Author

    Rich Galen has been a press secretary to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich. Rich Galen currently works as a journalist and writes at Mullings.com

    Be the first to read Rich Galen's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

    Join The Debate!

    Post Your Comment
    (12 comments so Far)
    View in ascending order     View in descending order
    Reply # 1
    Date: Oct 7, 2006 - 7:33 AM EST
    10 reasons Why Hasert Slould Not Resign!
    Wednesday, October 04, 2006Top 10 Democrat Sex Scandals in Congress Information compiled from the Washington Post, Congressional Sex Scandals in History

    10. Sen. Daniel Inouye. The 82-year-old Hawaii Democrat was accused in the 1990s by numerous women of sexual harassment. Democrats cast doubt on the allegations and the Senate Ethics Committee dropped its investigation.

    9. Former Rep. Gus Savage. The Illinois Democrat was accused of fondling a Peace Corps volunteer in 1989 while on a trip to Africa. The House Ethics Committee decided against disciplinary action in 1990.

    8. Rep. Barney Frank. The outspoken Massachusetts Democrat hired a male prostitute who ran a prostitution service from Frank’s residence in the 1980s. Only two Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to censure him in 1990.

    7. Former Sen. Brock Adams. The late Washington Democrat was forced to stop campaigning after numerous accusations of drugging, assault and rape, the first surfacing in 1988.

    6. Former Rep. Fred Richmond. This New York Democrat was arrested in 1978 for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old. He remained in Congress and won re-election-before eventually resigning in 1982 after pleading guilty to tax evasion and drug possession.

    5. Former Rep. John Young. The late Texas Democrat increased the salary of a staffer after she gave in to his sexual advances. The congressman won re-election in 1976 but lost two years later.

    4. Former Rep. Wayne Hays. The late Ohio Democrat hired an unqualified secretary reportedly for sexual acts. Although he resigned from Congress, the Democratic House leadership stalled in removing him from the Administration Committee in 1976.

    3. Former Rep. Gerry Studds. He was censured for sexual relationship with underage male page in 1983. Massachusetts voters returned him to office for six more terms.

    2. Former Rep. Mel Reynolds. The Illinois Democrat was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault with a 16-year-old. President Bill Clinton pardoned him before leaving office.

    1. Sen. Teddy Kennedy. The liberal Massachusetts senator testified in defense of nephew accused of rape, invoking his family history to win over the jury in 1991.


    Flag as Offensive

    Reply # 2
    Date: Oct 5, 2006 - 7:55 PM EST
    Hey, what happened
    to the Jackson post? C'mon Townhall! This is getting ridiculous (at least I can use that word now).
    Flag as Offensive
    Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
    If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
    Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
    Salutation:
    First Name:
    		*
    Last Name:
    		*
    Email:
    		*
    Nickname:
    		*
    Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
    Address 1:
    		*
    Address 2:
    City:
    		 *
    State:
    		 *
    Zip:
    		 *
    Phone:
    		       
    Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
    (Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.