The name of my favorite "independent, non-partisan" education advocacy group cropped up in today's Tribune article about former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's million dollar "transition" office.

Apparently federal law says we have to pay House Speakers for an office for up to five years so that they can clear up all those pesky little loose ends that Speakers have to clear up after they leave the position (finish burying the bodies?).

Hastert seems to be pushing the envelope with his expenses - $6,300 for office space in the suburbs, $860/month for a car, and $300,000 for three staffers.   

The Tribune also reports that "the taxpayer-funded office also has assisted Hastert's work with nonprofit groups, including the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee and Advance Illinois, an education reform group."

Hastert is a member of the Advance Iliinois Board, which is co-chaired by former Gov. Jim Edgar and mayoral brother Bill Daley.  

It's obvious that AI has clout. It's not often that you see the members of our state legislature's education committees falling all over themselves with happiness to be told what to do, lapping up AI's "recommendations," and asking how fast AI wants to see them enacted into law (as in, for example, our new charter and teacher evaluation laws.)

Well, you know what they say -- if you sleep with the dogs, you might end up with a few fleas.