Daves-first-blog

I have The Hill E-News sent to my inbox every week. This was item number two:

Drug wars: While there has been a lull in the war of words between Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, Hastert's role in U.S. drug policy continues to be examined. The National Security Archive has obtained declassified U.S. government cables. One cable reports that Hastert met with Colombian military officials in 1997 to assure them that he would work to de-link security aid and human rights conditions even though Congress was working to attach human rights conditions to U.S. aid. In another cable, former U.S. Ambassador Myles Frechette decries the fact that a shipment ofitems destined for the military – which had been held up pending negotiations – arrived in Colombia while the Hastert delegation was in country, undermining Frechette’s leverage with the Colombian military leadership.

Josh Marshall has the backstory on the Soros/Hastert constroversy here, here, here, and here (In response to Jack Shafer in Slate

My question is: What is the Speaker of the House doing meeting with Colombian military, especially during the run-up to passage of Plan Colombia