Hastert defends wiretapping at local GOP dinner

DeKALB - Speaker Dennis Hastert provided a strident defense of a controversial warrantless wiretapping program Saturday while drawing comparisons between two of his party's most revered former presidents and the office's current occupant. In an unscheduled appearance before about 175 people at the DeKalb County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner, Hastert said that since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President Bush and Congress have been committed to protecting Americans. And &#8220sometimes to do that you have to do some fairly extraordinary things,” he said, such as listen in on possible terrorist-related communications. Since it was publicly revealed late last year, the Bush administration's program to monitor, without warrants, cal