Why would Hastert quit in mid-term?

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, whose 14th District of Illinois borders on RascalLand, is expected to announce soon whether he'll run for a 12th term.

Nobody will be surprised if Hastert decides against a bid for re-election. Indeed, several would-be successors in both parties already are champing at the proverbial bit.

But political columnist Bob Novak suggests that a more dramatic departure by Hastert -- a mid-term resignation -- might be in the offing.

And then there's this from Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet, who says Hastert is running low on campaign money and has spent a bundle on lawyers to deal with any potential hassles arising from last year's Mark Foley sex scandal. Sweet also sees the possibility of mid-term resignation by Hastert.