"The American people would like to see a war of three months and drop a bomb from 40,000 feet and say, 'We've done the job,' " Hastert said. "But to really make changes in government in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan is a long, hard, dirty process."
Hastert was serving as chief deputy whip to the powerful then-Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, in the midst of President Clinton's impeachment process, when House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston (R-La.) withdrew in December 1998 amid disclosures of marital infidelity.
Hastert's pragmatism with his colleagues quickly earned him the speaker's post, from which he dealt with passage of the Bush tax cuts and expansion of Medicare to include prescription drugs, among other accomplishments.
Hastert, a supporter of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's GOP bid for the presidency, said he believes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has "the upper leg" toward the Democratic nomination.
Opposition to the war is "being played out by every Democratic nominee for president," he said. "So next year is not going to be a particularly good year for Republicans. "That's not the reason I'm getting out, but we ought to face reality."
