President Praises Hastert at GOP Fundraiser in Chicago

President Bush demonstrated his support for embattled HouseSpeaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) on Thursday, joining him at a GOPfundraiser where he praised Hastert as selfless and an effectiveleader.

Bush, making his first appearance with Hastert since conservativeactivists called for the speaker's resignation because of hisfailure to stem the congressional page scandal, made it clear thathe hopes Hastert continues as House leader.

"I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the Housewho is going to be the future speaker of the House," Bush said.

The president offered his personal endorsement of Hastert at areception that raised about $1.1 million for Republican Housecandidates Peter Roskam and David McSweeney at a downtown Chicagohotel. Hastert introduced Bush at the event, and the two stood side by side until Bush began his remarks.

Hastert came under fire from conservatives after Rep. Mark Foley(R-Fla.) stepped down over sexually explicit electronic messages hesent to teenage boys who had served as congressional pages.Hastert's critics say he should have intervened sooner to addressthe inappropriate behavior, which some in Congress said has beenknown in some circles for years. Hastert, however, insists he didnot learn about it until two weeks ago when Foley resigned.

The scandal has broken at a particularly inopportune time forRepublicans, who are struggling to retain control of Congress in theface of growing public discontent with the Iraq war and economicanxieties that persist despite a surging stock market and gasolineprices that have fallen in recent weeks after sharp increases.

Since Foley resigned, Bush has gradually ramped up his publicshows of support for Hastert. "This country is better off with DennyHastert as the speaker, and it will be better off when he is thespeaker" in the next Congress, Bush said.

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) mocked the president's appearancewith Hastert in a fundraising e-mail to supporters, calling it "ameeting of the no accountability caucus of the Republican Party."

Earlier in the day, Bush spoke at a conference on renewableenergy in St. Louis, where he touted his administration's efforts toease the nation's dependence on foreign oil by promoting anddeveloping alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen, solar andwind power.

A woman in the crowd stood up during Bush's remarks and chanted,"Out of Iraq now." Bush ignored her and continued his speech, andthe event staff swiftly removed the heckler.

While the president was well received by the audience at the St.Louis Convention Center, some environmental advocates accuse him ofnot doing enough to promote renewable energy sources while turninghis back on conservation tools within his reach, including requiringmore stringent fuel-economy standards.

"The president's budget falls well short of his rhetoric when itcomes to supporting the development of biofuels," said JimPresswood, a federal energy advocate for the Natural ResourcesDefense Council. "After a year of volatile and record-high gasprice, surely we can do more to break our oil addiction."

President Praises Hastert at GOP Fundraiser in Chicago

President Bush demonstrated his support for embattled HouseSpeaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) on Thursday, joining him at a GOPfundraiser where he praised Hastert as selfless and an effectiveleader.

Bush, making his first appearance with Hastert since conservativeactivists called for the speaker's resignation because of hisfailure to stem the congressional page scandal, made it clear thathe hopes Hastert continues as House leader.

"I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the Housewho is going to be the future speaker of the House," Bush said.

The president offered his personal endorsement of Hastert at areception that raised about $1.1 million for Republican Housecandidates Peter Roskam and David McSweeney at a downtown Chicagohotel. Hastert introduced Bush at the event, and the two stood side by side until Bush began his remarks.

Hastert came under fire from conservatives after Rep. Mark Foley(R-Fla.) stepped down over sexually explicit electronic messages hesent to teenage boys who had served as congressional pages.Hastert's critics say he should have intervened sooner to addressthe inappropriate behavior, which some in Congress said has beenknown in some circles for years. Hastert, however, insists he didnot learn about it until two weeks ago when Foley resigned.

The scandal has broken at a particularly inopportune time forRepublicans, who are struggling to retain control of Congress in theface of growing public discontent with the Iraq war and economicanxieties that persist despite a surging stock market and gasolineprices that have fallen in recent weeks after sharp increases.

Since Foley resigned, Bush has gradually ramped up his publicshows of support for Hastert. "This country is better off with DennyHastert as the speaker, and it will be better off when he is thespeaker" in the next Congress, Bush said.

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) mocked the president's appearancewith Hastert in a fundraising e-mail to supporters, calling it "ameeting of the no accountability caucus of the Republican Party."

Earlier in the day, Bush spoke at a conference on renewableenergy in St. Louis, where he touted his administration's efforts toease the nation's dependence on foreign oil by promoting anddeveloping alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen, solar andwind power.

A woman in the crowd stood up during Bush's remarks and chanted,"Out of Iraq now." Bush ignored her and continued his speech, andthe event staff swiftly removed the heckler.

While the president was well received by the audience at the St.Louis Convention Center, some environmental advocates accuse him ofnot doing enough to promote renewable energy sources while turninghis back on conservation tools within his reach, including requiringmore stringent fuel-economy standards.

"The president's budget falls well short of his rhetoric when itcomes to supporting the development of biofuels," said JimPresswood, a federal energy advocate for the Natural ResourcesDefense Council. "After a year of volatile and record-high gasprice, surely we can do more to break our oil addiction."