It’s getting harder to believe House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s story that he first heard about former Florida Rep. Mark Foley’s predatory behavior toward teen pages only last year in relation to Foley’s “over-friendly” e-mails. As the Washington Post reported Monday, as far back as 2000, Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., knew that pages were complaining about Foley’s creepy attentions, and he had confronted Foley about it.
According to Newsweek, two congressional sources confirm that in 2002 or 2003, former Foley chief of staff Kirk Fordham informed Hastert’s office about his boss’s reckless behavior after an incident in which an inebriated Foley showed up at the pages’ dorm.
That didn’t get Hastert’s attention?
Meanwhile, a Newsweek poll now shows that 52 percent of Americans think Hastert was aware of Foley’s misbehavior and tried to cover it up. And 42 percent now say they trust Democrats more than Republicans to uphold moral values; 39 percent still favor Republicans.
Bad news for the GOP.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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83 Comments
The trouble with polls though is that they count what people vote for.
That’s not nearly as important as being the people who count the votes.
I would call wanting boner measurements just a little more than friendly.There GMC, I said it.They won’t remove this because I was real careful to not saystiff woody.D’oh!!
The other trouble with polls is that they provide, at best, a snapshot of opinion at the time the polls are conducted, and not how people will actually vote some four weeks in the future.
What’s the line on Hassert’s resignation? And where can I put down a bet?
Yeah, we expect the numbers to drop off farther as the truth about a long standing cover up emerges.Just like the priests, it’s gonna take awhile for all the victims to come forward, especially the ones that aren’t out of the closet yet.
Dennis, Hank is the only gambling republican I know of that frequents this blog.
Right, Vaugh.
Look at all those voters in democratic districts in Ohio that changed their minds in the five minutes from voting for Bush to answering the exit pollsters . . .
They had obviously voted for Bush because that’s how the offical vote count came out, but they changed their minds and said they had voted for Kerry.
You’d think people would be able to remember who they’d just voted for, but no . . .
“Meanwhile, a Newsweek poll now shows that 52 percent of Americans think Hastert was aware of Foley’s misbehavior and tried to cover it up.”
As if the people they poll have a clue as to what actually happened.
I don’t believe that this “scandal”, will have much of an impact on the mid-term elections. For example, how many people do you think will change their vote for, say Todd Tiahrt because of what Foley did or Hastert failed to do?
On a positive note, it should be a while before the Boy Scouts have to fend off another bid to have homosexual scout leaders forced on them.
Poor Republicans trying to get out the message about how safe we are from the bad guys, and all the press and public want to talk about is Foleysyang and Pyongyang!
Is “over friendly” the new code word for pedophilia?
Poor Foley.He may have to trade down to an older beamer, maybe even sell a house or two.I feel bad for the guy.
Outlander
Thank you for mentioning Todd Tiahrt. I am still waiting for more explanation from him as to just how much he knew about the sordid social life of his close colleague Mark Foley. They did work together on a number of commitees and arch conservative organizations. So far Mr Tiahrt has had very little to say about that. Is it unfair to ask why? Cause I’m asking.
Just be grateful for the tiahrt commercial reminding voters it was the Republican Admin. that wanted to sell our ports to Dubai, and if there hadn’t been such a grass root outcry against it, congress would have supported it!
I’m too shy to express my sexual needs except over the phone to people I don’t know…..Garry Shandling
Whether Democrat or Republican, morality cannot be legislated. Men who run for office fall into moral delimma’s just like average citizens. As for being attracted to youth, by youth I mean 16-17yr olds, I think this situation exists for many adults, not just gay men, but women, males, etc.There are certainly laws that protect our children and indeed I believe they are necessary. But laws do prevent people from their attractions, and 16-17yr olds are by nature in an attractive state of age.I think Rep. Foley was over the line. Why? Because he held a position of highly critical leadership and he oversaw pages. He cannot flirt nor be privately suggestive. He should have been held accountable 3 years ago when Hastert’s office was notified.I think Foley is fighting an incredible struggle – being a Republican hiding his homosexuality and not having the sexual maturity to control some of his desires. Unless something breaks about him having sex with 17 and under pages I will at least give him the acknowledgment that he did not have sex with underage people.I hope he is getting help to come to terms with his sexuality and his drinking.I hope the pages and their families were not emotionally scarred by this. It is scary to think that Foley had intentions on someones son. The last think you would ever expect is a Republican with sexual desires, but they do.
The uncomfortable subtext is that the Party of Morality¬© wasn’t about to take down or even try to control one of their own, on an issue just might be of concern to their religious right base.
This was not even mildly surprising to those of us who have long questioned their flatulent, untenable claims of moral superiority.
If Foley wasn’t such a powerful hypocrite and brazen creep, I might actually feel sorry for him.
Folks who claim they have moral authority are setting themselves up for a fall. I love to watch them squirm. It’s sad that sex is portrayed as dirty. It’s sad that love is debated. It’s sad that citizens are maligned as perverts just so a political party can get votes.Jim Kolbe,R.Az, name is coming up again. He has been an openly gay republican congressman for many many years. How is it that he goes unnoticed by Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc. Could it be that since he is Republican it would be bad for the party to draw attention to him for fear that there is actuall a gay republican in the world.My god, there are hungry children in the nation. Where is Falwell and Robertson when it comes to holding politicians accountable for feeding the poor?I hate politics.
And, if various reports are to be believed, he did not want to run again in 2006, but was “pressured” into it by the same leadership now looking for cover.
“A Conservative Government is an organized hypocrisy.”….Benjamin Disraeli
JimG,Having sex with kids sick. That’s all. I hope the Republicans lose in November, they have continuously proven their incompetence. As much as I despise them, I just might have to vote Democrat.
Americans are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to voting. Shouldn’t we have a multi-party system to give us more options than simply voting for the two steaming piles of shit that they give you when you vote?
Let’s see: “Do you want the political puppet on the right? Or do you want the political puppet on the left?”
The current two-party system sucks.
Voting is for fools. Our “two” part system is ajoke and the best thing that could happen is to have about 1% voter turnout to lare bare the entire rotten farce!
Too many Americans cheer on one side or another as they would their favorite squad of low iq, criminal, negro ballplayers. Even smart folks like CF are so myopic that they can’t see the damned forest for the trees.
In any event, the great fialed experiment in multiracial demoratry is about to come to end, good riddance!
V.L.R.B!!
So, how’s the revolution going, peanut?
Wow.. It warms my heart to see this type of progressive commentary coming outta Kansas. Woulda thought you’d be praying for democrats catching bird flu.
Hello MarkD.Welcome to the blog.
I take it back. Nothings changed in Kansas. Lets pray.
MarkD,
Thanks for coming out. If you ever expect that Kansas will become like jew-york or hollyweird, then I fear you shall have a long, long wait.:)
V.L.R.B!!
Mark, aren’t you the preacher’s son? or is that another markD?
So, how’s the revolution going, peanut?
there we go.. “jew-york” is more like it. Hey darwin was an idiot! Praise god since he made us.
Kansas always gets put-downs from liberal Democrats, then they wonder why Kansas is overwhelmingly a Red State.
Note for Democrats: If you want Kansans to vote your steaming pile of shit party in office, maybe you should let off on the insults?
Tracy,
Go back to watching your negro ballgames and we will let you know when the REVOLUCION is over, coconut.http://users.mo-net.com/mlindste/blakdawn.html
V.L.R.B!!
just an observation from a jew yorker btw.
will, I don’t know about ol’ MarkD whoever he is but Dems I know son’t sink to such insults – as YOU do.
Ian you don’t even spell in english.Who ya’ talkin to there will, all of us? Good luck.
Ol’ limpballs started this insult game, why we’re just carrying on in the finest right-wing fashion.Wingers never could figure out what to do when we use their own shit on em’.
BTW will – you a New Yorker? When? I used to hit the City a lot many years ago. Loved the place!
You people are always droning on about DIVERSITY, yet you seem to want everyone to have the same political opinions and worldview as degenerate, cosmopolitan, big city leftists. You look down on Kansans with conservative social views as “ignorant” and “backward”.
Typical of leftists and coke sniffing jews, you want all the different races all thinking exactly the same way, disgusting!
V.L.R.B!!
Since I was born there in 1984, Ben. I am a native Bronxite. I’m taking law at Washburn. Didn’t I already explain this when I first started blogging here?
and Dems you know don’t insult Kansas? Does KSFarmgirl count as one of those Dems you know Ben?
I have limpballs.
Ian,I read your link and found it utterly hilarious! The scenario of the White Nationalists working together with Black and Hispanic Nationalists is ridiculous! Such people only look for dominance, they are not interested in sharing power, and all it would take is an ugly incident like a white nationalist killing a black nationalist to light the fuse to a potential powderkeg. They will fight a war amongst themselves that will end in oblivion. Furthermore, his take that the armed forces and police forces are somehow going to defect in large numbers to their respective Racial Nationalist factions is unrealistic. If an uprising did occur you would more likely find Racial Nationalists fighting police accompanied by SWAT, National Guard/Coast Guard. That’s why these Racial Nationalists don’t even attempt to raise a weapon, because our soldiers are loyal to their country not some idyllic belief system of “racial purity.” (whatever that means) You fail to take into account the increasing number of bi-racial multi-ethnic persons who serve in the armed forces and the police force. These people are not going to fit in any racialist camp. As a result they would be the potential target of all racial nationalists and they will fight anyone who tries to kill them. Ian, I think you get off sexually at the thought of “race war,” keep living in fantasy land buddy.
1984 – a bit after my time I’m afraid. I’m showing my age but I spent a lot of time in NYC back in the late 60s.
KsFG goes after the troglodites but not all Kansans.
So far the Republicans have blamed the following for the coverup of a pedophile:
Democrats, children, parents, doughnuts, Jewish bankers, the media, Clinton and a senator back in the 70s.
Why not blame the people responsible? What the Rethuglicans are saying (or not saying in the case of Tiahrt who still thinks Tom Delay is innocent), is that children who are molested or raped are to blame. All those priests who molested children were just goaded by the children.
The Grand Old Pedophiles have not only gone from having their hand in your wallet, but down your children’s pants as well.
They look so damned provocative in their little page uniforms!
Foley IM’d me about a script he wrote, “Mr. Smith Does Washington” where he’ll play the lead.
Will,
Laugh it up. I see that you learned nothing from the recent breakups of the Soviet Union and the former Jugoslavia. :)
http://www.geocities.com/anakonda_fi/
Viva La Revolucion Blanco!!
The hell with page-boy sex. We need to close the borders.
Clinton actually had sex with a page, so did Democrat Congressman Studds from Mass.What, exactly, was anyone supposed to do prior to having actual proof of wrongdoing?If the Republican Congress had tried to force Foley out, prior to having actual, iron clad proof, you folks on the left would be crying “which hunt” and “gay bashing” and “homophobe” wouldnt you?
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi
Republicans are more concerned about keeping their power than what is the moral thing to do.
So now they want everyone to believe that Foley (who admitted this behavior and checked into alcohol rehab – not perverted sex rehab) was just over friendly?
The investigation, if it really is thorough, may just bring up some awful truths that Foley’s colleagues may not like.
But Hastert and the GOP owe it to the voters to extract any and all truths in this ugly scandal.
Ann Coulter is hardly the source for intelligent facts – let alone truthful ones.
And I don’t believe anyone forced Foley out – he resigned his job didn’t he? Of course, he only did that because the cat was out of the bag or the closet?
The Republicans really slay me – they hate homosexuals but they tolerate pedophile behavior.
God must be proud of his party.
CRHastert told Foley that he would be forced out of the House if he did not resign.The GOP response was far different, far more harsh, in this case than the Democrats have ever been to one of their own.
Paul F. Rosell,
“Clinton actually had sex with a page, …”
Paul, still getting your facts(sic) from Coulter? Can you name that “page”, and provide details?
Perhaps you’re referring to Monica, who was a paid employee (no longer an intern) and almost 22+1/2 years-old before she met Clinton.Do you NOT understand the diffence between underage teenager, and consenting adult?
Ian,Chittum is an excellent fiction writer! :)
This is why the Soviet Union broke up, Ian.
http://www.newtimes.ru/eng/detail.asp?art_id=1296
The break up of Yugoslavia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Yugoslavia
Clinton has nothing to do with pedophilia in the GOP. But, I bet they will try to make it his fault.Clinton poked an employee. Harry Stonepecker of Boeing poked and employee. Ted Turner has poked a bison. Rudy Guliani was poking a mistress. Henry Hyde had a “youthful indiscretion” when he was in his 40’s!!! Newt Gingrich married his mistress weeks after divorcing his wife. Newt has a gay sister he chose to disown. Jim Kolbe is openly gay and he has no scandals. Strom Thurman had interracial sex with his slave. Trent Lott was there with him…that’s what Trent was referring to when he made the statement suggesting they get back to the good ole’days when Strom was a young man. He meant the reverse oreo love trist.Jim McGreevy banged and hired his lover. Ted Kennedy got drunk and walked around in his boxers the night his nephew raped a girl.George W. Bush got a hard-on, called his mama, and she screamed it down.Ronald Reagan, well, how could he have sex with his wife. Eeewww.Jimmy Carter felt natural lust and admitted it. Christians went nuts. Why” They’re not sure.NO ONE WILL FUCK ANN COULTER.
Rosell . . . Coulter . . . hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Ann Coulter is really a man. Get with the program guys.
How could Hastert tell Foley that he would be forced out of office when Hastert stated he had only learned of Foley’s emails on Sept. 29th?
So do you believe Hastert’s own words or Rush Limbaugh’s talking points?
Foley was shipped into rehab to get his face out of the public eye while the GOP leadership tried to come up with a good cover story.
And Hastert came up with several stories as I recall. Why so many different versions? The truth never changes – no matter how hard you GOP lovers try to twist the facts.
To paraphrase Paul Rosell and other wingers:
“CLINTON’S FAULT! CLINTON’S FAULT! CLINTON’S FAULT! CLINTON’S FAULT! CLINTON’S FAULT!”
Here’s my reply:
“PATHETIC”
Could someone actually show me where a Republican has tried to blame Clinton for this?
Well Kia.
Repbublicans are not necessarily blaming Clinton. Well some are but not here. What they are doing is screeching “But Clinton! Look at Clinton!”
This is a standard tac of Republicans. “Don’t pay attention to what is going on, think about what happened before!”
CR GOOD CATCH!
I can’t post links. Webtv ya know.
Someone should go get Hasterts words from last week.
One day he was saying that he was glad that Foley had resigned and that if he had had any knowledge of what Foley was he would have confronted him and demanded he resign.The NEXT day, Hastert was claiming that he had demanded Foley resign.
Uh….so which is it?
And Paul F Rosell FINALLY weighed in! Hey it only took him three threads and almost 2 weeks to wait for his programming. He has been busy in the meantime attacking union workers. When he finally did get the cajones/talking points he gives us Annie manny no fannie bananarama so ranty fee fi foe ranty Annie Coulter? Weak Paul weeeeeeeeak!
Yeah Paul, you really need to be informed about a subject before you make yourself look foolish. Monica was not a 16 year old page, she was a 22 year old intern. Unlike the pages she was flirting with Clinton, showing him her thong, Foley was asking to see the kid’s underwear.
Of course a pedophile coverup must be Clinton’s fault because Rethuglicans can’t ever accept responsibility.
Hey, Paul “I’m paid by AIPAC” Roshill?
I wonder if you’d care to comment on your conviction for child endangerment?
Rethuglicans can’t ever accept responsibility.
Hi Pot. I’m kettle.
Capn?
Yes, JR. Just got an e-mail on our friend Paul.
It seems he has quite a record–2,500 dollar fine from the KS Ethics committee . . . ouch!
Well,
I am known to have good discretion as to sources. Do be careful about yours….
Can I see? Or can you share here?
Hey, Paul, saw the hit letter on Raj you got printed in the “liberal media” today.
Good thing Bonny supporters can’t read, huh?
You Dems are just laughing it up aren’t you?I don’t find anything from Republicans on passing blame on the Foley scandal.There is much written and said by Conservative commentators however pointing out the hypocracy of the Democratic party when it comes to scandals of this nature.
Missed reading today. Roshill did indeed share his stuff with a larger audience. Quite the attack piece the Eagle gave him.
Thing is? NO ONE here noticed. Jwink,writerdog,J M Walker, Mary Caruso, and Steven Davis got published and we noticed. But Paul Rosell we missed. Telling that.
You boys need to let me know if a left coast Winger happens to make your local fish wrap ok?
The Arizona Star featured a front-page article about Kolbe and his possible foreknowledge, though his spokeperson denied that the 2000 communications were explicit.
I suppose Mr. K. wasn’t bad for a Repub (he’s retiring this year), but “gay Republican” still sounds a lot like “jumbo shrimp” to me (notwithstanding the number of gay-bashing Dems out there–Jan Pauls, anyone?).
RED STATE RABBLE:
They’re So Special
Religious fundamentalists oppose what they call special rights and privileges for gays. It seems not to bother those who claim a special relationship with god that the rights they would deny our fellow citizens sound suspiciously like those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Their storyline frames — to use a word of the moment — the conflict as between greedy gays who want something the rest of us are denied. At it’s foundation, it’s a cynical appeal to egalitarianism.
Now, a series of articles published in the New York Times, demonstrates who it is, in our society, that really benefits from special privileges… and it isn’t gays.
This one’s for our buddy paulfrosell:
There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity…..Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Paul – your terrorist-loving girl Coulter confuses adult relationships with pedophilia. Of course, in her case I can understand the confusion – she wouldn’t know the difference. So, let me spell it out for you: Clinton had a relationship with an adult. While that might be morally wrong it was consensual and legal. The issue with Foley involved children. That is a HUGE difference.
I might be tempted to again, someday vote republican. Perhaps if they were to re-commit themselves to smaller, less-intrusive govt.So long as they claim they know what god wants and continue to hate tax paying fags I’ll stay as far away from their party as I will from Kansas.
Dems have a big lead:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061010/pl_nm/usa_politics_polls_dc_3
“which hunt” – Paul, you are so stupid…
Let the fun begin!
Former Foley aide to testify ThursdayLARRY MARGASAKAssociated PressWASHINGTON – Mark Foley’s former chief of staff, who says he warned the House speaker’s staff three years ago of inappropriate Foley conduct toward pages, is to testify Thursday before the House ethics committee.
Kirk Fordham will insist that he warned Speaker Dennis Hastert’s chief of staff about the conduct in 2003 or possibly the previous year, Fordham lawyer Timothy Heaphy said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona said a former page he had sponsored contacted his office to complain of e-mails from Foley, the Florida Republican who has resigned. Kolbe said he “passed along” the complaint to Foley and to then-House Clerk Jeff Trandahl.
Trandahl’s lawyer, Cono Namorato, said Trandahl “will cooperate fully with the FBI and the House ethics committee investigations.”
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/15718884.htm
Former Florida Rep. Mark Foley’s biggest mistake was being a Republican. If he was only a Democrat, he could still be in congress. He would only have to accept a censure, receive a standing ovation from his fellow Democrats and continue to be voted back in at each election. Newspapers across the country would come to his defense. If only he was a Democrat.
Wow so many of these posts prove there is no such thing as ‘intelligent design’.