CHICAGO (AP) - President Bush stood shoulder-to-shoulder with embattled House Speaker Dennis Hastert yesterday, offering a powerful boost in his moment of need and declaring the country "better off" with Hastert in power.

"I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the House who is going to be the future speaker of the House," Bush said as he opened a speech to raise money for two Illinois congressional candidates.

The $1.1 million fundraiser provided the first picture of Bush with Hastert since a scandal broke involving a Republican congressman pursuing underage male pages. Although the president has spoken out in Hastert's defense - tepidly at first and more directly at a White House news conference on the eve of the fundraiser - their appearance together was an endorsement of Hastert when nearly half the country says he should resign.

Their long-scheduled fundraiser was sponsored by Hastert and came on the same day that the House Ethics Committee questioned ex-Rep. Mark Foley's chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, for five hours. Fordham has said he took complaints about Foley's conduct to Hastert's top aide three or four years ago.

Hastert's office has said it learned of Foley's conduct only last fall, and the speaker has said he first was notified in late September this year.

Bush defended him, without mentioning the Foley case.

"Speaker Denny Hastert has a long record of accomplishment," Bush said. "He's not one of these Washington politicians who spews a lot of hot air. He just gets the job done."