Denny Hastert and Lyndon H. LaRouche

Slate's Jack Shafer makes a compelling argument that this statement by the Speaker of the House proves that Dennis Hastert is an "an absolute nut job." But perhaps more significantly, he identifies the likely source of Denny's information:

Where did Hastert get the notion that Soros might be getting money from drug cartels? A good guess would be the organization headed by political fantasist, convicted felon, and perpetual presidential candidate Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. This campaign literature from the "LaRouche in 2004" Web site, dated Oct. 29, 2003, makes the drug charge directly:

Years of investigation by LaRouche's associates have answered that question in grisly detail: Soros's money comes from impoverishment of the poor countries against whose currencies he speculates, and from deadly mind-destroying, terrorism-funding drugs.

(Emphasis in the original.)

The LaRouchie slander of Soros dates back to the early '90s. Michael Lewis recorded an anti-Soros protest by LaRouche followers in a Jan. 10, 1994, profile in the New Republic. Since then, the drug charge has been a LaRouche literature mainstay. See, for example, this cached copy of a 2002 interview with LaRouche from his organization's Executive Intelligence Review.

Is Denny really crazy or is he quoting LaRouchie "investigations" as part of an elaborate plan to make Alan Keyes look comparatively semi-reasonable?

Either way Illinois Republicans must be beaming with pride.