Hail Hastert

Rep. Dennis Hastert, chosen by Republicans as the next Speaker of the House, won the post Thursday, CBS News Correspondent Eric Engberg reports.

The portly ex-teacher known to all as "Denny" is not an accidental Speaker. He is a sturdy workhorse who benefits from bizarre times and the right friends.

The high school wrestling coach-turned politician was a team player and non-confrontational. In Congress, he took on thankless tasks that put him at the fringes of power, always to the left of the powerful or to the right, a detail man on health and drug policy.

Although social conservative organizations, like Christian Coalition, gave him perfect voting marks, moderates found him to be a non-ideologue.

"I am a moderate, I feel he will listen. He is a conservative. I am sure the conservatives feel he will listen. I think the Democrats feel he will listen as well," said Rep. Michael Castle of Delaware.

A long alliance with the conservative hard-baller Rep. Tom Delay, R-Tex., brought Hastert anonymous power as the top GOP vote counter, the chief deputy whip.

He attracted new admirers when he refused to challenge Rep. Dick Armey for GOP leader in November citing an old pledge of loyalty to Armey.

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Delay, a fierce partisan, declined to go after the top job saying he would be too good a target for the White House. He let Hastert use the whip organization to scour votes. But friends reject the idea that Hastert is Delay's front man.

"I don't think this is a hidden agenda situation in which Tom Delay is going to be dictating the agenda to Denny Hastert. I just don't see it that way," Castle said.

The vote for Hastert, on the heels of the vote for Livingston, shows that House Republicans have wearied of charisma and confrontation and think the public has as well.

Reported By Eric Engberg