Olympic lobbying in Hastert's future?

It seems lobbying is in former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's future. The retired lawmaker, talking to the media after announcing his endorsement of Jim Oberweis for his congressional seat, said he's been talking to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley about assisting the mayor's efforts to bring the 2016 Olympic games here.

"I'd like to be a part of that if I can be," Hastert said Thursday. "That's a good thing for Chicago. That's a good thing for the people of northern Illinois."

Hastert was an honorary chairman of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Patrick Sandusky, a spokesman for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee, said having the former wrestling coach on board "would be fantastic. He's been very supportive of our bid already. Someone of his stature, as a international leader, as someone from the Chicago area and also someone with a great history and background in sport, we look forward to having any help and assistance we can get from Speaker Hastert."

But he's not leaving politics entirely. The Plano Republican is seeking another political office, albeit one with a much lower profile. Hastert's name is perhaps the most recognizable among Kendall County precinct committeeman candidates. He is seeking the GOP spot in Little Rock Township's eighth precinct. He is unopposed.

A thinly veiled Lauzen dig?

In backing Oberweis, Hastert praised the Sugar Grove businessman for bringing people together. Oberweis' main opponent in the primary, meanwhile, has been criticized for failing to build consensus. And state Sen. Chris Lauzen doesn't shy away from his maverick reputation, saying he'd rather be fiscally responsible than popular. But Lauzen's reputation for not playing well with others doesn't necessarily sit well with Hastert.

"In my 21 years in the Congress I saw a lot of members come and go. Some thought it was best to talk and to posture, and to be disagreeable in the hope that their constituents would think they were being tough," Hastert said Thursday in what could be construed as a thinly veiled dig at Lauzen. "Those folks didn't last very long."

Events raise $700,000:

This week's two tribute dinners for the new J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government and Public Policy at the retired politician's alma mater, Wheaton College, raised $700,000 for the $10 million project, a college spokeswoman said. The center, slated to open in January, "will advance the study of market economies and representative democracies, in both the campus community and the public," according to promotional materials from the college. It also will house some of the former House speaker's political papers and records.

For the man who has it all:

In other Hastert news this week, the Associated Press reported that he was one of the House members who fared the best in terms of pricey gifts received in 2006. Hastert reported getting a bronze sculpture of a fox -- a reminder of the Fox River that runs through his district, perhaps -- valued at $325 and an Egyptian silk rug worth $450. Both were approved for display in the Capitol, while most of his other gifts were taken to the federal government's General Services Administration for safekeeping, according to a list compiled by the State Department.