Contrast

One of my favorite sites is The White House website.

Its extremely informative. For example, President Bush has just issued congratulations to former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

President Bush Congratulates Denny Hastert on Congressional Career

The congratulations are formal, and as such do not go into the specific details of Hastert's career.

Hastert has announced that he will be retiring from Congress and not seeking reelection. He is part of a wave of Republican politicians who have announced their retirement in recent days.

Contrast the congratulations with this story from The Nation magazine:

The Worst House Speaker in American History

"Ultimately, however, the greatest horror of Hastert's... was defined by the remaking of an essential legislative chamber as nothing more than an extension of the executive branch of the government. The damage to the Congress has been severe, as has been the damage to the Republic.

Hastert was the "rubber stamp" Speaker of the House. From Iraq, to the absent efforts after Katrina, to abuses of power, scandals, and to extreme partisanship all this is Hastert's legacy.