Hastert To Lead Delegation To Japan

President Bush tapped former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to lead an official delegation to the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa at the end of the month.

U.S. ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer, the brother of CBS's Bob Schieffer, will also attend.

Hastert was once rumored to be considered for the ambassadorship of Japan, but stayed in Congress to fulfill a promise to the president that he would remain speaker through Bush's final term -- a promise he wasn't able to fulfill after Democrats bounced the Republicans from power last fall.