Speaker Dennis Hastert: "thumbs up or thumbs down"

No, Speaker Hastert is not asking for a vote on President Bush nominees for the courts.

Speaker Dennis Hastert wants a Republican controlled House ethics committee give a written approval for lawmakers trips financed by companies or special interests.

WASHINGTON - Speaker Dennis Hastert proposed Wednesday that the House ethics committee give a written "thumbs up or thumbs down" in advance to lawmakers who want to take a trip financed by companies or special interests.
He said advanced approval would clear up confusion over travel rules at a time that Majority Leader Tom DeLay's trips are under scrutiny. Other lawmakers have been rushing to belatedly disclose past travel or amend previous reports to clear up any discrepancies on the trip's financing. [...]

Hastert, speaking on the Tony Snow show on Fox News radio, said lawmakers "need to get a clearance up or down." He said the ethics committee should devise a "simple way to get a thumbs up or thumbs down."

Speaker Dennis Hastert continues to defend this boss second-in-command in the House leadership.

"Everybody's piling on Tom DeLay," he said.... "It's a lightening rod. He thought he was cleared on these trips. He thought they were funded by a legitimate organization."
DeLay has asked to appear before the ethics committee to explain his travel, and the speaker said this was the right thing to do.

"Tom needs to lay out his information ... and get cleared," he said.

Hastert want the Republican controlled House ethics committee to give out permission slips so Congressmen can go on field trips.

If the Republican controlled House ethics committee gave Tom Delay a permission slips to go on a field trip who is big money donors, the trips are still sleazy. No matter how many permission slips Tom Delay buys.