from a post 08.17.07 by Paul Kane at the washingtonpost.com's blog "Capitol Briefing:"
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The House GOP Leaders' Precipitous Fall
The dissolution of a once proud House Republican leadership team is near complete.
Dennis Hastert (Ill.), the affable wrestling-coach-turned-House-speaker, and Deborah Pryce (Ohio), the former head of the GOP Conference, both announced this week that they do not plan to stand for reelection next year, ending political careers that total more than 36 years combined.
Taken in isolation, these announcements aren't earth shattering. Hastert's retirement was long expected. And Pryce's announcement, made yesterday in Columbus, is somewhat of a surprise given how aggressively she had been assembling a campaign operation. Her departure reflects the fact that her central Ohio district had become one of the most competitive in the nation.
Taking the long view, these announcements are the latest in a series of shattering blows to a House Republican leadership team that, prior to 2006, ran the chamber with an iron fist and a view that they would never lose their majority. Of the top six GOP leaders from the last Congress, only Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.) remains in a leadership position ... (Complete Post)
* John T. Doolittle (Calif.): A DeLay acolyte, Doolittle's future as GOP conference secretary was already murky once the majority leader gave up his leadership post. Doolittle battled his own Abramoff allegations throughout 2006, barely defeating the underfunded Democrat Charlie Brown with less than 50% of the vote. Despite the near loss and Abramoff questions, Doolittle announced a bid for another leadership post after the '06 midterms -- a campaign he gave up in less than a day. Now a back bencher, Doolittle's home was raided by the FBI in April [Friday the 13th] as part of the Abramoff investigation. California Republicans are openly talking about ousting him in a 2008 primary.
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