A Few Conservative Voices Still Speak for the Speaker

"Yeah" was the entirety of Hastert's reply.

"I like what you said yesterday," Limbaugh continued, when Hastert "asked for an investigation into who knew what when."

"I don't think you could ask anybody better than the FBI," Hastert concurred. Limbaugh encouraged Hastert to change the subject to the economy and national security. Hastert dutifully responded with a few remarks about the economy and national security.

Eventually, Limbaugh closed with the warning that Democrats and the media would press the issue "even though you've dealt with it, even though he's gone, even though the mistake has been corrected."

Hastert again agreed. "They're trying to put us on defense," he said.

If that was the goal, it seems to have worked. Even nudists were gloating about the Foley scandal, telling the St. Petersburg Times that the lawmaker had been "very hypocritical" in attacking their skinny-dipping. Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), according to the Deseret News, was driven to declare some of Foley's mannerisms "irritating," adding: "You don't need 'gaydar' to understand he has certain dispositions."

Even as Hastert was on the air with Limbaugh, ABC News was publishing more instant messages Foley had sent to former pages. Clearly, Hastert needed more help. Bush, traveling in California, told the cameras that Hastert "is a father, teacher, coach who cares about the children of this country."

When even that proved insufficient, Hastert turned at 5 p.m. to Hannity's radio show, "the last beacon of truth in a troubled time."

Hannity had spent two hours accusing the Democrats of "dirty tricks" and "hypocrisy" and taking issue with the Washington Times' call for Hastert's head.

"I was shocked at the Washington Times today," he told Hastert, then got down to the questioning. "As you said, this is all brand new to you as of Friday?"

"Right," Hastert agreed.

Hannity asked if Hastert's foes had the Foley messages but "sat on them for political reasons."

"I just think it's awful strange," the speaker agreed.

Hannity, invoking Democratic sex scandals involving then-Massachusetts Rep. Gerry Studds (1983), Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank (1990) and President Bill Clinton (1998), asked: "Do you think there's a double standard?"

"Yes, it appears there's a double standard," the speaker agreed.

Hannity was not finished. "In all seriousness, how would you be responsible for what another congressman does on an instant message? How could you possibly know this kind of thing was going on?"

"We don't know," the speaker agreed.

Milbank is writing a book. Washington Sketch will appear on a reduced schedule until early next year.