Hastert shows his sensitivity - aides backpedal furiously

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) showed the world how clueless and insensitive it's possible to become in the insular world of the federal government.

"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed," the Illinois Republican said in an interview about New Orleans Wednesday with the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Ill.

Hastert also claimed that federal aid to New Orleans is not worth the money for just a few thousand lives.

These statements are the latest in the questionable output from the House Speaker. His most extraordinary outburst probably came last August when he accused financier George Soros of receiving money from drug cartels.In April, Haster claimed that Democrats were blocking Ethics committee hearings to prevent investigations into their own misdeeds, and not to institute needed rules changes.

Now his aides are scrambling to spin his statements. They say that he was merely trying to inject fiscal responsibility into the discussion of aid to the areas ravaged by Katrina. Given his history of shoot-from-the-hip whoppers, it's your choice whether to believe them.

I guess the House really needs someone to replace Jim Traficant.