Demagogue

"It's not supposed to work this way."

That's probably what House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was thinking last night. When you're the Speaker of the House, and you've chosen someone to play the role of "fall guy," that's supposed to be the end of the story.

Unfortunately for Hastert, this fall guy refused to throw his cards on the table and fold. Instead, former Foley chief of staff Kirk Fordham had the temerity to raise the stakes by disclosing late yesterday that he had informed a senior staffer in the Speaker's office at least three years ago about Foley's inappropriate communication with House pages.