Bush Backs Hastert When Backing Hastert Isn’t Cool

CHICAGO —  Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been nothing remarkable about President Bush’s praise Thursday for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert at a political fundraiser.

But this is not an ordinary year. Hastert is struggling to cope with the fallout from how his office handled reports that former Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley dispatched inappropriate electronic messages to a former congressional page.

With his big verbal hug for the speaker, Bush left no doubt about his support for the Illinois Republican at the start of the $1.1-million fundraiser. He gave the speaker a handshake and declared at the start of his speech: “I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the House, who is going to be the future speaker of the House.”

His remark prompted applause and cheers.

“He’s not one of these Washington politicians who spews a lot of hot air. He just gets the job done,” Bush said of Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House speaker.

He continued effusively: “I have worked with him up close. I know what it is like to work with a speaker who is determined to protect the United States of America. And a speaker who wants to make sure that everybody who wants a job in America can find one. He has delivered results for the people. This country is better off with Denny Hastert as the speaker, and it will be better off when he is the speaker the next legislative session.”

In addition to his support for Hastert, the president’s remarks signaled his belief that the impact of the scandal should not reach beyond Foley.

Bush has had little to say in public on the matter, other than to express at a news conference Wednesday his strong disapproval of Foley’s behavior, which included vivid sexual messages to pages and former pages.

Despite Bush’s support, GOP candidates in several close races have canceled Hastert appearances at fundraising events.

Bush and other Republicans hope to return the focus of the campaign to national security issues. But the Foley scandal continued to play out Thursday as witnesses testified before the House Ethics Committee.

Among them was a former Foley aide who has said he complained to the speaker’s office about Foley’s conduct long before the speaker’s office acknowledged having received a complaint.

Democrats, meanwhile, continued to highlight Foley’s conduct. In the latest TV ad, which began running Thursday in a Nevada congressional race, Democratic challenger Tessa Hafen accuses Republican incumbent Jon Porter of taking “thousands in contributions from ... leaders who covered up the actions of sexual predator Mark Foley.”

Bush’s praise for Hastert came at a fundraising reception at the Chicago Hilton Hotel for Peter Roskam and David McSweeney and other Illinois Republican congressional candidates. Roskam is in a difficult race against Tammy Duckworth, a former soldier who lost both legs from injuries in Iraq. McSweeney is seeking to unseat Rep. Melissa Bean.

Both races are drawing high-powered supporters -- in addition to the president, they include First Lady Laura Bush and former President Clinton. Both districts, encompassing suburbs west and north of Chicago, are among the growing number seen as up for grabs and as key to control of the House.

Bush started his day Thursday in St. Louis at a conference on renewable energy, where he promoted tax credits for buyers of hybrid vehicles and federal spending to help industry develop new battery technology. He also talked up solar energy, wind power and particularly nuclear power.

Bush’s advocacy of ethanol and other fuels that can be replenished drew mixed reviews from environmental advocates.

Nathanael Greene, with the Natural Resources Defense Council, praised Bush for focusing on the issue but said the nation needs to promote “solutions already available today -- like stronger fuel-economy performance standards for all vehicles, and hybrid vehicles.”

The president was interrupted briefly by a woman who shouted, “Out of Iraq now!”

As she was led out, she changed her chant to a message that reflected the theme of the conference: “Soldiers aren’t renewable.”

james.gerstenzang@ latimes.com

Times staff writer Richard Simon in Washington contributed to this report.