One of the least competent, most corrupt politicians in Congress just got a promotion – and you will suffer for it.

For 18 years, many of us in Central Washington have chafed at being represented in Congress by Richard “Doc” Hastings, a political hack of the first order, bought and paid for by Big Oil and the House GOP leadership.

Unlike every predecessor of that office, Doc didn’t get committee assignments on Agriculture, the lifeline of the district’s economy, or the Energy Committee, with a major employer in the district the Hanford clean up effort….instead, he did the bidding of his political bosses, Tom DeLay and John Boehner, and joined the Rules Cmte.

When DeLay got in trouble over his illegal schemes (for which he is now a convicted felon), he handpicked our Congressman to head the House Ethics Committee, and Hastings then proceeded to cover up not only for DeLay, but other ethically-challenged-and-since-convicted crooks like Bob Ney and Randall “Duke” Cunningham…just because they were fellow Republicans.

No hearings for over a year, no investigations—yeah, Doc did the dirty work for his corrupt buddies. He even protected sexual predator Mark Foley (R, Fla.)…as outraged as many of us were over that, his solidly red district, Washington’s Fourth CD, keeps reelecting him year after year.

For years, he was a backbencher, lowest of low profiles, taking no responsibility and offering no leadership on any issue, and voted according to how he was told by his bosses.

Now, the piper must be paid—all that money coming in political contributions from the Oil and Gas lobbies over the years, his largest contributors every election cycle—and those special interests are calling in their chits, now that Doc has ascended to the Chairmanship of the House Natural Resources Committee.

He is already diving in, doing what he can to “land grab” Federal lands for uncontrolled development, unlimited drilling rights everywhere, reduce regulations and streamline the permit process, gut and defund EPA, all to avoid any accountability for the rapacious oil, gas and coal industries or unpleasant roadblocks like environmental or safety issues.

We Friends of the Fourth Congressional District in WA state are here to warn you that it’s no longer just us suffering this fool—you and your family will suffer, along with all Americans, if he isn’t stopped.  Help us defeat Doc Hastings in 2012.