Hastert struggling to hold on to job

Since last week, when the Mark Foley scandal broke out, House Speaker Dennis Hastert has come increasingly under fire from colleagues and the public for how he has handled the situation.

The Washington Post reported that Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said he told Hastert in spring about the concern over contacts between Foley and pages and was told it would be taken care of. Hastert told the press Friday that he didn't recall such a conversation. Boehner then contacted the Washington Post to change his story and said he couldn't recall if he had told Hastert. It looks like the House leadership was trying to coordinate a consistent story at that point.

Today, Boehner reverted back to his original story by saying this:

"I believe I talked to the Speaker and he told me it had been taken care of," said Boehner. "And, and, and my position is it's in his corner, it's his responsibility. The Clerk of the House who runs the page program, the Page Board—all report to the Speaker. And I believe it had been dealt with."

Also today, the conservative Washington Times called for Hastert to resign.

US News reports that the next 24 to 48 hours are critical for Hastert if he is to retain his job as House Speaker.