The Speaker's Decree vs. Democracy - New York Times

The Speaker's Decree vs. Democracy - New York Times:

'The job of speaker is not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority.' Thus spoke Speaker Hastert in a little noticed moment of czarist excess three years ago that his office is now stressing as the immigration issue churns toward a two-house negotiation.

This odious doctrine would be a major hurdle to any immigration bill, but especially to one that actually threatens to attract a bipartisan majority.

Thus is Mr. Hastert giving 116 Republican lawmakers out of his total caucus of 231 members the power to bottle up a bill, even if most of the House's 435 members eventually support something like the Senate compromise. And this is not just talk. Mr. Hastert, whose minions easily hamstring the rules of open debate, has repeatedly used his ukase to snuff out bipartisanship, even on such crucial affairs of state as the Medicare drug program.

This is the guy the Feds say they are NOT investigating. Maybe they should be; for crimes against the Constitution of the People of the United States;. Or at least for being a jackass.