Served 34 years in the House and as Speaker for 2 of those. A distinguished service record - assuming you don't count the time he beat an aide with a hammer, stabbed her with a steak knife, slashed her throat, and then put her in his car and went to see a movie. But hey - everyone makes mistakes, right?
Apparently, only one player had the foresight to pick him up and squeeze him, thereby discovering that he had gone bad.
(d) February 1st, 1999