The nameplate is already gone from the office door of Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and his Web site has gone dark. But the fallout from his apparently predatory behavior toward underage House pages has only just begun.
Now the FBI is checking to see whether Foley violated federal laws with his sexually suggestive e-mails. Also, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., wants the Justice Department to investigate Congress’ response once it learned one its members — a co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus — seemed to be soliciting minors for sex.
Hastert’s request for a probe rings a bit hollow, given the timing. It appears that Foley has been doing this sort of thing for at least three years, and House members had seen some of the sexually charged messages a year ago. Not surprisingly, Democrats say the GOP was trying to protect a House seat in an election year.
You think?
As for Foley, he’s done what a lot of public figures do when their careers implode: checked into an alcohol treatment facility. Can a book be far behind?
Posted by Dave Knadler
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By MADDY SAUER and ANNA SCHECTERABC NEWSOct. 1, 2006 — A Republican staff member warned Congressional pages five years ago to watch out for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page.
Matthew Loraditch, a page in the 2001-2002 class, told ABC News he and other pages were warned about Foley by a supervisor.
Loraditch, the president of the Page Alumni Association, said the pages were told “don’t get too wrapped up in him being too nice to you and all that kind of stuff.”
Staff members at the House clerk’s office did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Some of the sexually explicit instant messages that led to Foley’s abrupt resignation Friday were sent to pages in Loraditch’s class.
Pages report to either Republican or Democratic supervisors, depending on the political party of the member of Congress who nominated them for the page program.
Several pages for members of Congress tell ABC News they received no such warnings about Foley, R-Fla.
Loraditch says the some of pages who “interacted” with Foley were hesitant to report his behavior because “members of Congress, they’ve got the power.” Many of the pages were hoping for careers in politics and feared Foley might seek retribution.
Loraditch runs the alumni association for the US House Page Program and he is deeply concerned about the future effects this scandal could have on a program that he sees as a valuable educational experience for teens.
Hastert Yanks – On Efforts To ‘Keep Kids Safe in Cyberspace’- from Website
Up until this morning, the top of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert’s website highlighted the congressman’s efforts to “Keep Kids Safe In Cyberspace,” with press releases from 8/29 and 8/22, as well as a link to an 8/29 event.
Those documents are now gone. Hastert has removed the three links, with the top news reading, “Hastert Applauds Federal Funding To Stop Emerald Ash Borer”
Meanwhile, Dennis Hastert and others in the GOP leadership tried to keep the coverup intact.
Polls: Democrats in striking distance for SenateSeveral incumbent Republicans trailing with five weeks until electionINTERACTIVE
• 2006 key racesThe races to watch.
EXCLUSIVELY ON MSNBC.COM
NBC NewsUpdated: 6:39 a.m. CT Oct 2, 2006NEW YORK – Five weeks out from the midterm elections, MSNBC/McClatchy polls, conducted by Mason-Dixon in eight states, show Democrats are in striking distance of taking control of the Senate. The Democrats are very likely to gain several Senate seats with some races still rated as toss-ups.
In the Senate, Democrats need to gain six seats to regain control of the chamber. Our polls show that this is certainly possible as five races are toss-ups, one now narrowly shows a gain for Democrats — Pennsylvania — and the party maintains control of Sen. Maria Cantwell’s Senate seat in Washington.
More………
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15046834/
Eagle Editors, gracias.
I think this thing is pretty much the only thing that stands to make a dent in the national media’s capitulation to the GOP. Did I say GOP? My bad: it should have been “The Party of Foley and Delay.” Culture of corruption, anyone?
Best of all is the White House’s attempt to play down the seriousness of Foley’s offenses, which has rather had the effect of fanning the flames. Tony Snow’s spin this morning that Foley had just sent some “naughty emails” isn’t going over well. At. All.
Ugly, ugly, ugly. And it’s just getting started.
The GOP: Graft Or Pedophilia.
GOP=Grand Old Pervs.CF, did you notice that the repugs IMMEDIATLY admitted that some “leadership” had known for maybe a couple of months?WHEN THE TRUTH IS:From the ABC news article above, it’s clear that Foley’s peers new about his nasty little secretAT LEAST FIVE YEARS AGO,AND, instead of doing anything about Foley, they just ocassionaly warned the boys!@%#*^^#!**
Gosh CF, you have moderated your language.Even after I handed off the King Of PottyMouth title to you.That’s cool.
Yup. Republicans show once again that they are the party of hypocrisy that walks on two legs like men, more interested in protecting a gay-pedophile than in protecting children.
“How many times do you have to get hit over the head before you see who’s hitting you?” Harry Truman
Typical, one person admits an alcohol addiction and inappropriate sexual behavior, and instantly everyone who ever considered themselves a Republican is a vile pedophile.
Have a wonderful time with oversimplified generalizations and accusations.
You can put the knives down, I am not defending him or his actions. I fail to see how an entire party can be indicted because of this…but am sure many on this blog will gleefully do so.
raptor, you just defended the party that helped keep this hiddenFOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.Yes, THE PARTY, not individuals.THE PARTY. PERIOD.
No they’re not all gay pedophiles.They are enablers and supporters of at least one gay pedophile.The phony male escort that THE PARTY hired to field soft-ball questions was probably not into kids, but we don’t know that for sure.
No, raptor, the entire GOP should not be indicted for the indiscretions of Mr. Foley; but those in possession of information that failed to take the appropriate actions thereafter should be castigated therefor. Surely, the investigations should begin immediately; but, to no one’s surprise, the House investigation will not commence until after the election, it being too cumbersome to recall the members when they need to be out campaigning.
I’m sure there are plenty of worse people out there trolling the net for young victims.What are the chances any of them are the head of some govt program to go stop people like themselves?
The Republicans that knew about Foley’s penchant for minor male pages should be held accountable just as much as Foley himself.
Most of thesre Republicans toot their own horns about family values and bringing back ethics to the White House and Congress. How can there be ethics when they knowingly cover up one of their own, and mind you this one was on the Caucus for Exploited and Missing Children.
Where is the outrage from these so-called moral Christian Republicans? I haven’t seen an outrage yet.
I have seen them all running for cover to cover their own butts in this scandal.
And this is true leadership? Don’t think so and I think the voters have the right to know everything.
Has anyone heard anything from Todd Tiarht about this Foley situation? Wonder what his story will be.
Very true, Vaughn..the entire party should not be castigated for this failure..but there are dozens of people on this blog just chomping at the bit to do just that. You have seen a few examples of it already.
Those responsible should be held accountable..but many here will gleefully use this to indict the entire party–regardless of actual involvement/knowledge or any other pesky facts.
Attack..attack…attack. That is the norm.
His website may be dark, but thanks to the marvel of the “internets” here’s what used to be on it:
We live in a new day and age, when our children are being exposed to more threats at school, in their own neighborhoods and even on the internet. In 1998, I helped to establish the Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus in Congress in order to bring more attention to legislation and issues that provide law enforcement and parents with the tools they need to keep children safe.
I have been honored to become a leader on this issue in Washington, sponsoring legislation that ensures organizations that deal with children have proper background checks, strengthens sex offender laws and eliminates child pornography.
(snip)
* Worked closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and John Walsh (host of FOX TV’s “America’s Most Wanted”) on a variety of child protection programs. Among the latest of these is a program designed to show children how to protect themselves from online predators.
*****
And here’s what USED TO BE on Speaker Hastert’s website before they pulled it:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/02/hastert-kids-cyberspace
“Hastert Drives Effort to Keep Kids Safe in Cyberspace”
and
“Hastert Taps National Experts ‘To Keep Kids Safe in Cyberspace’”
Gee . . . why’d he pull those stories?
Have anything to do with KNOWING ABOUT FOLEY for a full year at least?
He should really put up a story with this headline: “Hastert Keeps Foley Safe to Molest Kids in Cyberspace”
raptor – the only ones I have called for to get nailed are the enablers like Speaker Hastert.
I’m surprised Jeff Gannon didn’t break this story, the two had so much in common. Oh wait, Jeff liked older boys and frequently visited George Bush. My bad.
Notice how quiet it is from Hank Price, ID, Outlander, Sotheysaid, Seanmahair et al?
Hello? Don’t leave raptor to twist in the wind here guys.
Paul Roshill hasn’t gotten his daily AIPAC talking points on this yet, so he doesn’t know what to say . . .
Let me get this straight – all Republicans should not be painted with the same broad brush. But yet Republicans can paint all Democrats with the same broad brush?
Hypocrits in the crowd?
And I don’t categorize pedophile as sexually insppropriate behavior. I categorize it as a pervert!
I seem to recall 8 years of attack – attack – attack on Bill Clinton by Republicans. And he had sex with a consenting adult woman.
Exactly, CR; I guess I shouldn’t have tried to be subtle in my earlier post. There are, of course, many hypocrites in the crowd, on both sides of this (and many other) issues. The point I hope can come through: an entire group (political party, Chamber of Commerce, labor union, etc.) should not be indicted as a whole absent proof the entirety knew of, and approved of, the actions of the sleazy few. Go after the hypcritical sleaze-bags, to be sure; but, before indicting the whole, be sure the whole deserves it.
You’re right of course, Vaughn. Not every Republican knew about Foley and not all of them would turn a blind eye like Hastert and Reynolds apparently did.
But on the other hand, this is the party has gotten control of all three branches of government by incessentally pushing the hot buttons of “personal morality.”
When they fail, they deserve to be held to the standards that they themselves have set.
CapnAmerica: I couldn’t agree more.
Don’t exaggerate, CR. I never claimed “all Democrats are bad”. Or anyting close to that. I do remember saying I have worked for and voted for Democrats in the past, and will do so again. Save your labels and attacks, ok?
In a realistic, mature fashion, I believe anyone associated with the disgusting turn of events should be properly punished. But, we all know that there are many, many people here who just delight is using any single example as a means to say every Republican that has ever drawn breath is a pedophile or worse.
“Twist in the wind” by asking for some reason? I am asking for this incident to be put in perspective, and not defending anyone anywhere. I am just sick of that type of gross generalization that is so common here. Attack without regard for facts.
BTW, it is absolutely none of your business, Capn, but I am actively supporting Nile Dillmore, and encouraging others to do the same. He is a decent, hardworking representative that has earned our trust and our vote to be returned to Topeka.
Dennis Hastert – Speaker of the House. #1 Republican in the House.
John Shimkus – in charge of the Page program.
These two ran the coverup for Foley. If they are not removed then the rest of the GOP should suffer. A fish rots from the head down – here we have the head rotten.
Sigh. Ok. SOMEONE has to do it…
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2277425
The long list of republican pedophiles.
heheheheh. Like I said, someone had to do it.
Of course, it could be that this is just a chance for the Furher to do a little house cleaning. KKKarl will at LEAST make the best of it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×2858758
I loved the comment that perhaps the RNC could consult Bernard Law about how to handle such a scandal?
heheheheh
RAPTOR–Where do you think we learned the attack from?Up until Newt and Rush started this shit, SHORT MEMORY?, NOBODY was getting personal and shitty to this extent.DON’T YOU REMEMBER MR. RAPTOR?
“AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE—DAY # BLA, BLA BLA, ETC, BLOVIATE AD NAUSEUAM.
Now the shoe’s on the other foot, and since there ain’t a DAMN THING to CHEER ABOUT, you’ll just be the HEAD WHINER!!What’s wrong with that?That is all we’ve heard from the repugs all these years is that we’re just bed-wetting whiney liberals, remember any of that Mr. whiner?We sure do.And payback are a BITCH!Karma, indeed.
And of course, the sad part from my perspective is that once again, bigots will connect gay with pedophile.
Wrong. Not all gays are pedophiles, and not all child molesters are gay.
At least some people wonder if the outrage would be the same if Foley loved little girls?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2280685
HEY GIRL!! (gleefully)JUST IN TIME, GET IN LINE!!WHEEEEE!!YEEE-HAW!
Where is the Blue Dress Investigation Team when ya REALLY need them.
hee hee hee hee
I wonder how they will blame Bill for Foley?
Good point TRACY. 14 years of Clinton-bashing is coming home to roost.
Hi Tracy–Good to see ya!!
I was gonna sit this dance out, but I was inspired by the WE board adopting the name v.b. for you know who.
heheheheheh
Wonder how Values Boy will spin this?
I bet he has his pencils sharpened.
ksfarmgirl, you’re quite correct that some will try to tie pedophilia to those who are gay. Wrong, wrong, wrong, but it’ll happen. And, I suspect the outrage would not be the same if the pages in question had two X chromosones (although it should be).
The repugs want people to have their values?WELL, ALRIGHTY NOW.WE’RE DOING JUST THAT.ATTACK, ATTACK.Somebody PLEASE figure out how many more days America will be HELD HOSTAGE by this admin.PLEASE?
Poor Raptor.
You know it is a bad day for the republicans when the GOOD news is that foley is pushing jack abramhoff out of the headlines….
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2280470
This isn’t about a homosexual pedophile pervert. It is about politics. Hassert has denied anyone in the Republican leadership knew of those disgusting INSTANT MESSAGES. So what should they have done? Kicked him out because they knew he was a homo?
Since the release now was timed to do the most pre-election damage, the question should be, who had those INSTANT MESSAGES and for how long?
Outlander – Hastert has admitted that he is a liar – he DID know. As did others in the GOP leadership.
hehehehe
and dont forget the OTHER news this is shouting down.
Something about phone jamming in NH?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2276328
Outlander, this isnt too hard. You are way better.
No, they shouldnt kick him out IF he is gay.
They should have kicked him out, five years ago, for being a CHILD MOLESTER.
See the difference? Do you think the dems waited FIVE YEARS to spring this?
hehehe
Nope, it wasnt the dems who hid this for half a decade. It was the republican leadership.
To quote Dave “ya think?”
“This isn’t about a homosexual pedophile pervert”
You got that right outie.
It is about an uber conservative, uber “moral” uber gay hater masquerading as something he is not.
And then getting caught.
And whining all the way to rehab while his enablers cry “they didnt know”.
Bullshit.
He did. They knew. It’s time.
Let the investigations begin!
Bad try outie.We already slammed raptor.You don’t have a leg to stand on buddy.
I’m sure all of these pages as far back as five years are just part of another vast left wing conspiracy.RIGHT.
CONGRADS ON THE VALUES BOY LABEL.RUSH WOULD BE PROUD OF YA’.When in Rome…….right raptor?
heheheheheh Tracy.
Now I KNOW my life will be complete if I ever read “governor leadership”.
heheheheheheh
heheheheh
If this keeps up, it could almost be as much fun as the threads when cheney shot an old man in the face!
Or terry fox’s resignation thread(s)
Or, well, nevermind.
The list is so long….
Ok, damn, just gotta add
The “Connie Morris loses like a big dog” threads were pretty fun too….
Torture, abuse, and pederasty. It’s all of a piece. No “few apples” here–it’s the whole GOP barrel. What does it mean to be a contemporary Republican but to be a predator who betrays the public trust?
Republicans, you really have opened Pandora’s Box. For me, anyway, the Foley revelation is not only divine justice for your collective approval of torture. It’s the other side of the same coin. The sexualized cruelty and ritualized dominance this Congress has licensed abroad is the same cruelty and rapacity its members practice at home on the interns who work for them. The contagion stains everything about how your “Party” works. Damage control won’t change a thing.
How’s it feel to be the Party of rape AND torture, Republicans? And the rape of children, at that?
A pox on ALL of your houses.
“GOP” =
-Grand Old Perverts-Grand Old Pedophiles-Grand Old Predators
Or, alternatively
Guardians of PervertsGuardians of PedophilesGuardians of Predators
WOW, I wonder if this young man has some LaCrosse shorts or shirt with a valuable stain on them?
ksfarmgrrl: Damn right, let the investigation begin, and include the subject of who held on to the IMs and leaked them to ABC now.
If they say the Republican leadership knew of the IMs, PROVE IT! If they can, then they deserve the blame. If not, then it is just another cheap political stunt.
Oh my goodness, yes, I have been “slammed”…for asking for a little reason and a little rational discussion.
And what do I get? “you made me”. “you did it first”. “did not” “did too” infantile mentality.
Guess it was too much to ask for. *sigh*. Should have known. Oh well..have to get back to work now. Some of us don’t have all day to play online.
You’ve got the beast on the run, but gloating too much will save it.We got the bastards; all we have to do now is shut up. They’ll (Gore) theselves to death. (Puns in parenthesis)
Rap–Okay, you CAN be bi-partisan. I concede the point. And I have voted for Jean Schoedorf, a nominal Repub.
Outie writes–”So what should they have done? Kicked him out because they knew he was a homo?”
KSGrrl already slammed this one to the pavement but let me reiterate: the problem is not that he’s gay. The problem is that YOU PEOPLE whip up your rapture-right base by inciting hatred against gays.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t preach “tolerance” for Ken Mehlman and Jeff Guckert and Armstrong Williams and Dan Gurley and now Mark Foley while at the same time gnashing your teeth about the “gay agenda” and the “perversion masquerading as a life style.”
If you condemn gays, and you Repukes do, then you have to condemn the ones in your own party too.
cheap stunt?hahah heheeheeI bet this boys folks sure agree with ya’.QUIT WHINING!
AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE!!DAY 2080.and counting.
raptor and outie why don’t you call limpballs on the air, I’m sure he’ll whine along with ya’HA.oh how infantile of me.shame.Rush and billO would NEVER act like this.On second thought, maybe I need my own bloviating radio show.
Very clever outie to insist they knew the guy was a child molester, but they are only culpable if they knew about the IM’s. Specifically.
Um, I think they knew enough even without the IM’s.
heheheh. And they tried to cover up the worst of it with ABC news.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2286245
Out, rap – TWO problems. The targets were minors. Hastert and Shimkus knew about it.
Capn: It’s called a rhetorical question. Look it up.
BUT WE KNOW WHERE THE WMD’S ARE!!THEY’RE NORTH SOUTH EAST AND WEST OF BAGHDAD.
AMERICA HELD HOSTAGE:DAY 2080
Also, Outie, the FBI didn’t think this was “a cheap political stunt.”
They are pursuing a criminal probe, and not the kind of probing that Rep. Foley likes, apparently.
Blowing the whistle on a sexual predator is not a “stunt.” It is a public service.
Ben: Why don’t you share the evidence that you have establishing that Hassert knew of the offending IMs? It would save the justice department some investigation.
Tracy: Foley is gone in disgrace as he should be. Now we have the disingenuous attempts to tag the Republican party with the acts of a pervert.
Yeah. Watching the spin machine click on has been pretty fucking funny.
“Democrats knew but sat on the information.” Fucking please. Waiting for what, exactly?
“Hastert didn’t know about the instant messages.” Maybe not. But seeing as how it took ABC exactly ONE DAY to flush ‘em out once they had the emails, it sounds like somebody wasn’t terribly interested in seeing an investigation take place. Somebody named Denny Hastert, maybe?
If Republicans have oversight responsibility, they’re culpable for not knowing about something that was easily discoverable by others. The lack of a Congressional investigation is their fault. They knew something was up with Representative Foley pursuing young men working as Congressional pages, and did NOTHING.
POutlander,
It’s SO typical to hear you whining in lockstep with Congressional Fat Bastard about ‘leaks.’ You may want to get a new act.
“Damn right, let the investigation begin, and include the subject of who held on to the IMs and leaked them to ABC now.”
Outlander,A sure sign that your grasping at the last available defense is when you stoop to “grassy knoll” conspiracy theories. I agree with whoever said above, you are better than this. Please stop, I am embarrassed for you.
Out – I have already posted it on another thread. Hastert admitted it.
Damnit outie, you jus wanna’ be called names doncha?What WE are talking about is THE PARTY covering for this guy for years!!GOT IT? THE PARTY! PERIOD.They covered because they didn’t want to lose his seat to a dem.NOW WHAT ABOUT CHEAP POLITICAL STUNTS?WOULDN’T THAT QUALIFY?OR EVEN WORSE, COVERING FOR A KNOWN FELON WHO’S CONTINUING HIS FELONIOUS WAYS.Whadya’ say to that?
Steven, LET HIM CARRY ON SO WE KNOW!This twit is trying to divert our attention to some eee-ville “leaker”.WOW, that says a bunch about character.
Uh huh
I see Outlander got the GOP playbook for this one. Rush and Hannity have been trying to spin this into “who had the IMs all this time?” all day. Then Hastert got in on it.
What the Dems played the hand the Republicans had in the pants of pages? My response? Uh,, SO? If the Republicans had not been giving aid and comfort to the cretin Foley the last FIVE YEARS, there’d be no “gotcha to get ya!
No dice Outie. No dice.
Your party and yes I did say party is busted here. Hastert has already changed his story 3 times. Someone had a link earlier about how Foley had made a rather large donation to another Republican who was in on the story. I would not be surprised to learn that many if not most of the Republican House members were complicit in this cover up.
Last I checked, Todd Tiahrt had not commented on this matter on his website. I think we should expect him to be forthcoming about how much he knew. I’m gonna do a little digging and see how much Tiahrt and Foley have worked together.
Yeah Tracy,
I am forgetting:GOP leaking = good!
All other leaking = bad! and probably treasonous!!!
Tracy: If that is the case, then let’s see the evidence. As last I heard, it is not a crime to be homosexual. Show us evidence that Hassert had reason to know that this guy was sexually inappropriate with underage boys. If he did and did nothing about it, I will join you in the condemnation of the Republcian House leadership.
But if the evidence is not there, what we have is a pervert who has resigned in disgrace and who maybe facing criminal charges, and Democrats who are trying to make political hay out of it.
outie – did you check out KsFarmGirl’s “all-star” lists?
“GOP leaders knew of Foley’s e-mails to pageBY JONATHAN WEISMAN AND CHARLES BABINGTONWashington PostWASHINGTON – House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., to a 16-year-old page, a top GOP House member said Saturday — contradicting the speaker’s assertions that he learned of concerns about Foley only last week.
Hastert did not dispute the claims of Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., and his office confirmed that some of Hastert’s top aides knew last year that Foley had been ordered to cease contact with the boy and to treat all pages respectfully.
Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, became the second senior House Republican to say that Hastert has known of Foley’s contacts for months, prompting Democratic attacks about the GOP leadership’s inaction. Foley abruptly resigned his seat Friday.”
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/nation/15650926.htm
In the earlier discussion about masters of painting a group with broadstrokes from a single instance, let’s not forget Reagan’s “Welfare Queens” and the “truly needy”.
OK, one more time Ben. That is why I have been putting “IMs” in caps. They are not the same as the emails. I understand there is nothing of a sexual nature in the emails, unless you know something about them I don’t.
I’ll bet a dollar to a donut Mark was a good little doggy, regardless of his views. With the republican leadership “allegedly” knowing about Foleys emails, what else could he do.
With that in mind, isn’t holding someone hostage for any reason against the law?
outie, damnit, you’re makin it hard to be so nice to ya’.People are posting the evidence from good reliable sources all around you.
Emails, Ims: what difference does it make? If the republicans knew, they should have outed foley. Outlander, you’re grasping at tube steak and finding jello.
outie’s gonna argue that it’s OK because it was instant mail.Oh your God.I quit responding on that one.unbelievable
OK, one more time outlander. According to GOP House member Reynolds Hastert “was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., to a 16-year-old page”
Note that the term used is “e-mails” and the accuser is a Republican. (I guess you could claim that “inappropriate” doesn’t necessarily mean ’sexual’)
JMAMERICA HELD HOSTAGE:DAY 2080.
Rush must have gotten his talking ppoints this noontime.
Ben, can you think of any other innapropriate things to email about to young men?I guess some of Ian’s posts would qualify.
********************************************************************
http://www.wesh.com/news/9980352/detail.html
Foley Was Rising Star In Party
Before the scandal erupted last week, Foley was widely seen as a rising Republican House leader and effective legislator.
But Foley was unable to break out of his House district into statewide politics, perhaps because persistent questions about his sexual orientation created problems among more conservative GOP voters. He quit a potential run for the Senate in 2003 after news reports surfaced that he is gay, though he denied that was the reason.
He played a key role in authoring legislation signed into law in July by President George W. Bush establishing a national sex offender database. Foley also pushed in 2003 for closure of a teenage nudist camp.
In 2005, he said on the House floor that it was “disgusting” and “sick” that some sex offenders were able to obtain Viagra through Medicare. He sponsored a bill this year to curb “exploitive child modeling.”********************************************************************
Outlander,
The hypocrisy of this whole deal is just too much. Parsing terms about IMs or emails, again, is just beneath you. Why are you doing this?
For the first time, I am starting to wonder if you a proll like everyone accuses Paul F.R. of being.
You surely can’t trot out that old, “I am just defending the unjustly accused” line — surely you won’t, please.
Steven he already has in posts above.Great post though.I bet Foley spent lots of time reviewing nudist materials.
Outlander,
Do not forget, I was WATCHING Cspan live when Nancy Pelosi called for the Ethics commitee to investigate this.
Procedure calls first for a yay or nay voice vote. The yays and nays were about equal volume. But the speaker ruled the Nays (not to refer the matter to the ethics commitee) “had it”.
So the Republicans were trying to cover this thing up right to the very end!
This FORCED Pelosi to call for a vote by electronic device. See? That puts each Representative on record. So THAT vote was virtually unanimous to refer the matter to the Ethics committe.
Outlander? Only a fool fights in a burning house.
If you folks know of the offending content of the EMAILS, please post it. That is what Hassert had. As the article Ben posted mentioned, Foley was reprimanded because of them. Was that strong enough, considering the evidence available then, I don’t know. And I would say that neither do you.
The IMs are another matter. Hassert has denied knowing about them.
Outlander
Why did the Republicans try to shout/shut Minority leader Nancy Pelosi when she called for the Foley matter to be referred the the Ethics committe? I WATCHED that happen.
Trying to distinguish between IM’s and emails is like Bill Clinton trying to define what “is” is.
The Republicans scoffed at that defense and now you expect everyone to buy into this difference between IM’s and emails?
so “inappropriate” emails are OK?
Personally I don’t care if Foley is gay. What bothers me is that he sent sexual emails or IM’s to minor male pages. That is what the problem is.
The biggger problem is that GOP leadership knew about these messages and kept quiet. Tony Snow called these messages “naughty messages”. what kind of crap is that?
Your GOP party of morals is crushing down around your pointy little heads.
Thank you Representative Foley for resigning and acknowledging your shame. If Rep. Foley was a Democrat he would be planning his coming out party and promotion within elite circles.
I’m with you lucee. Gay – no problem as long as with consenting adults. Of course, that is what so many Republicans love to hate so much. But with children?
“naughty messages? Again, traded among adults (or even among adolescents) might be OK. But adult “role models” to children? NO WAY!
I wonder if a Republican who is gay has more of a tendancy to adopt such a pathology? He lives a life among those who constantly preach that anything gay is evil; that has to twist him somehow.
Yea right jw. That is why Hastert and Shimkus shielded him for so long!
Please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me Foley has a drinking problem and that is caused all this mess.
He slinked into rehab because that is where the GOP is going to have time to come up with a good story for Foley.
And I still want to know what Todd Tiarht has to say about this. Why isn’t he speaking?
And what about Jeb Bush? Foley is from Florida – Bush’s state. Why haven’t we heard from him?
The GOP is rounding up their wagons and this can’t be good.
Ben Huie,
EXACTLY. POutlander’s little red herring gets him nowhere.
Outlander, I enjoy your posts and think highly of you. But it does you no service to march in lockstep with the bullshit GOP spin machine on this one.
lucee,
Well put. You got style.
When I heard this morning about Foley checking himself into an alcohol treatment clinic, my 1st thought was:
“well, now we know why the real reason he resigned his seat — who ever heard of a sober congressman?”
… well, it seemed funny at the time…
Maybe Congress shouldlook int0o having a Rehab center on-site! I bet it would pay for itself with no problem!!
And all self righteous Republicans that don’t want the whole GOP party painted with the same brush as Foley. What if the tables were turned and this was a Democrat Congressman? Would you be so generous in your assessment of the situation then?
Well put lucee, and a belated welcome to posting.
CR
I am curious as to just how closely our own Todd Tiahrt has worked with Foley.
Just a quick search finds this:
Elected Members of the Republican Liberty Caucus Board of Advisors in the US Congress include:John Culberson (TX)Mark Foley (FL)J.D. Hayworth (AZ)Sam Johnson (TX)Ron Paul (TX)John Shadegg (AZ)Nick Smith (MI)Todd Tiahrt (KS)
So Tiahrt has worked with Foley.
Unless and until Tiahrt speaks, I guess we will have to do the looking to see just what he might know.
Here’s the emails that were handed over to the FBI in July. The ones Hastert and company had access to. Creepy, creepy, creepy. Notice how each one proceeds from the innocuous to the invasive. Grooming of victims, anyone?
http://www.citizensforethics.org/filelibrary/FoleyEmailExchangeUpdated.pdf
**********************************
From Foley to unnamed intern:
“how are you weathering the hurricane…are you safe…send me an email pic of you as well”
“I just emailed will…hes such a nice guy…acts much older than his age…and hes in really great shape…i just finished riding my bike on a 25 mile journey and am now heading to the gym…whats school like for you this year?”
“I am in North Carolina…and it was 100 in New Orleans…wow thats really hot…well do you miss DC…Its raining here but 68 degrees so who can argue..did you have fun at your conference…what do you want for your birthday coming up…what stuff do you like to do”
“glad your home safe and sound…we dont go back into session until Sept 5…its a nice long break…I am back in Florida now…its nice here…been raining today…it sounds like you will have some fun over the next few weeks…how old are you now?…”
***********************************
If I had oversight duties and something like this crossed MY desk, you’d better believe I’d get cracking, and fast.
J R,
Nice catch.
Good work JR…I can’t wait to hear Tiarht trying to back pedal out of this relationship. But then again, he may just go ahead and defend Foley the way he defended Tom Delay?
If these emails were just friendly small talk – then why was the page “freaking out”?
lucee: perhaps because they had been accompanied by/preceded by the IMs that are the current hot topic? Or, perhaps the fact the recipient had been a page for a Member from Louisiana, and the emails were from a Member from Florida? To my knowledge, we have heard nothing about any personal contacts by Foley with the page in question, perhaps the personal contacts adds to the context?
But obviously the page knew Foley by reputation because he mentioned something about being told to be aware of a certain Congressman.
There is more to this story than we have been told and I think most of the story is in the GOP leadership at this moment.
It appears that they just looked at these like small talk and I have to wonder if a Congressman is so busy they cannot read each bill that is being voted on – why would Foley find time to be emailing minor male pages?
Vaughn Tolle,
Foley’s messages are creepy regardless of whether one knows of his history with explicit IM’s or not. And if the page and Foley hadn’t met previously, which you cite as a reason for the page being ‘creeped out,’ why the correspondence in the first place? Foley was well-known as a one-man clearinghouse for Congressional pages. He obviously had a level of familiarity with the page.
But that’s all beside the point. The question is not, “why did the page react the way he did?” The question is rather, “why, confronted with this clear evidence of sexual predation by Representative Foley, did Speaker Hastert choose to do nothing about it?”
Your attempt at a Red Herring, Vaughn Tolle, does nothing to answer that question.
Outie, you want to see inapropriate e-mails? Here you go:http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/house-gop-leadership-knew-about-foley.htmlNow where I come from, 52 year old men don’t have discussions about “Spanking it” with 16 year old boys. Maybe things are different where you come from? Do you discuss jacking off with children?
You can drop the Homo line. Nobody is worried about Foley being gay. What sinks his ship is,he’s a PEDOFILE. And a hipocrite.
In case anybody has trouble with links, here’s something our friend CF posted on another thread.
I quote:
Maf54 (7:46:33 PM): did any girl give you a haand job this weekend
Xxxxxxxxx (7:46:38 PM): lol no
Xxxxxxxxx (7:46:40 PM): im single right now
Xxxxxxxxx (7:46:57 PM): my last gf and i broke up a few weeks agi
Maf54 (7:47:11 PM): are you
Maf54 (7:47:11 PM): good so your getting horny
Xxxxxxxxx (7:47:29 PM): lol…a bit
Maf54 (7:48:00 PM): did you spank it this weekend yourself
Xxxxxxxxx (7:48:04 PM): no
Xxxxxxxxx (7:48:16 PM): been too tired and too busy
Maf54 (7:48:33 PM): wow…
Maf54 (7:48:34 PM): i am never to busy haha
Xxxxxxxxx (7:48:51 PM): haha
Maf54 (7:50:02 PM): or tired..helps me sleep………………….Xxxxxxxxx (7:50:57 PM): i dont do it very often normally though
Maf54 (7:51:11 PM): why not
Maf54 (7:51:22 PM): at your age seems like it would be daily
Xxxxxxxxx (7:51:57 PM): not me
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:01 PM): im not a horn dog
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:07 PM): maybe 2 or 3 times a week
Maf54 (7:52:20 PM): thats a good number
Maf54 (7:52:27 PM): in the shower
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:36 PM): actually usually i dont do it in the shower
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:42 PM): just cause i shower in the morning
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:47 PM): and quickly
Maf54 (7:52:50 PM): in the bed
Xxxxxxxxx (7:52:59 PM): i get up at 530 and am outta the house by 610
Xxxxxxxxx (7:53:03 PM): eh ya
Maf54 (7:53:24 PM): on your back
Xxxxxxxxx (7:53:30 PM): no face down
Maf54 (7:53:32 PM): love details
Xxxxxxxxx (7:53:34 PM): lol
Xxxxxxxxx (7:53:36 PM): i see that
Xxxxxxxxx (7:53:37 PM): lol
Maf54 (7:53:39 PM): really
Maf54 (7:53:54 PM): do you really do it face down
Xxxxxxxxx (7:54:03 PM): ya
Did the Democrats know about it? Well, there’s this:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/washington/01cnd-cong.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1159761600&en=e68fa3cf333f98eb&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin
So who ya gonna believe, outie? the Democrats, or a bunch of perv-protecting leadership republicans?
Although, to be fair, I’m not sure whether you’re attempting to put forth a Red Herring or merely playing Devil’s Advocate. If the latter, I apologize in advance. If the former, gotcha.
Ooops–cross-post. I was responding to Vaughn Tolle.
XXX,
It’s an oldie, and a goodie.
The Member from Boeing has a one-sentence statement on his website concerning Rep. Foley; it, of course, says nothing of substance. Sorry, don’t have the link right now, google will get you there.
Have any of you noticed who is conspicuously absent in this thread? None other than the resident wingnuts. I guess the thought of a paragon of the party of morality and family values not living up to the horseshit he preaches about is just too much for Paul, Nate, Joe, Heckler, etc. Their silence is very telling.
And by the way, if you want to see what a real Republican looks like, check out this clown called ‘conservativeman’ on this thread from the LJWorld site
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/oct/01/gop_leaders_swept_scandal/?politics
What’s sad is he’s not alone in rationalizing this. ‘Its okay if you’re a Republican,’ I guess. Also, they just couldn’t wait to bring Clinton into this. If you guys think the wingnuts on here are bad, Jesus, just avoid the LJW – the right-wingers on there are brainwashed, fanatical fascists.
CF, apology offered in advance accepted.
For what it is worth I found this. I didn’t stay long enough to find out what this group is about but check out this list:
American Legislative Exchange Council Congressional Members†8 Members of the U.S. Senate89 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives†U.S. SenateSenator Wayne Allard (R-CO)Senator George Allen (R-VA) ALEC Senate ChairSenator Michael Enzi (R-WY)Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL)Senator James Talent (R-MO)Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY)†U.S. House of RepresentativesSpeaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL)Representative Rodney Alexander (R-LA)Representative Spencer Bachus (R-AL)Representative Richard Baker (R-LA)Representative Charlie Bass (R-NH)Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)Representative John Boehner (R-OH)Representative Dan Boren (D-OK)Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA)Representative F.A. Boyd (D-FL)Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX)Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)Representative Dan Burton (R-IN)Representative David Camp (R-MI)Representative John Campbell (R-CA)Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA)Representative Howard Coble (R-NC)Representative Tom Cole (R-OK)Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY)Representative John Culberson (R-TX)Representative James Davis (D-FL)Representative Jo Ann Davis (R-VA)Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA)Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)Representative John Doolittle (R-CA)Representative Thelma Drake (R-VA)Representative Tom Feeney (R-FL)Representative Mark Foley (R-FL)Representative John Randy Forbes (R-VA)Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)Representative Scott Garrett (R-NJ)Representative James Gerlach (R-PA)Representative Paul Gillmor (R-OH)Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA)Representative Virgil Goode (R-VA)Representative Sam Graves (R-MO)Representative Mark Green (R-WI) ALEC House ChairRepresentative Gil Gutknecht (R-MN)Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL)Representative Melissa Hart (R-PA)Representative Doc Hastings (R-WA)Representative Joel Hefley (R-CO)Representative Henry Hyde (R-IL)Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK)Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT)Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX)Representative Walter Jones (R-NC)Representative Steve King (R-IA)Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA)Representative John Kuhl (R-NY)Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA)Representative John Linder (R-GA)Representative Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK)Representative Ken Marchant (R-TX)Representative John McHugh (R-NY)Representative Cathy McMorris (R-WA)Representative Kendrick Meek (D-FL)Representative John Mica (R-FL)Representative Jefferson Miller (R-FL)Representative Jerry Moran (R-KS)Representative Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)Representative Robert Ney (R-OH)Representative Anne Northup (R-KY)Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM)Representative John Peterson (R-PA)Representative Joseph Pitts (R-PA)Representative Todd Platts (R-PA)Representative Jon Porter (R-NV)Representative Thomas Price (R-GA)Representative Adam Putnam (R-FL)Representative Jim Ramstad (R-MN)Representative Thomas Reynolds (R-NY)Representative Michael J. Rogers (R-AL)Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI)Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)Representative Edward Royce (R-CA)Representative Jean Schmidt (R-OH)Representative Michael Simpson (R-ID)Representative John Sullivan (R-OK)Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)Representative Pat Tiberi (R-OH)Representative Gerald Weller (R-IL)Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)Representative Roger Wicker (R-MS)Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC)Representative Don Young (R-AK)
See anybody ya know?
sigh…
XXX, did you even read my posts?
out – I specifically referenced EMAILS that Hastert knew about. “inappropriate” is the term used for them – I guess that makes it OK as ling as the details were confined to IM.
Outie said:”XXX, did you even read my posts?”
Sure did, outie. I always read your posts. Sometimes you’re pretty reasonable unlike some of the “walking brain-dead”. But it looks like you either had a brain fart, or you didn’t read MY post.
Let’s refresh.
You said:”If you folks know of the offending content of the EMAILS, please post it.”
I did that. Through link and post.
You said:”I understand there is nothing of a sexual nature in the emails, unless you know something about them I don’t.”
Obviously I and most of the bloggers here know something you don’t. A 52 year old man talking to a 16 year old boy about “spanking it” is not only sexual, it’s nasty!
You said:”As last I heard, it is not a crime to be homosexual.”
You’re right. But talking nasty to little boys on the internet IS a crime.
Read and comprehend, outie.
Hopefully, all have reviewed the chrononlogy of the IMs which are the hot topic right now versus the emails to the page. The IMs are from 2003; the emails, 2005. The text of the emails is worrisome as set out, and should have been quickly acted upon by the Republican leadership. Mr. Snow’s smarmy “naughty email” remark notwithstanding, the content thereof is highly inappropriate. However, the contents of the publicized IMs are totally reprehensible. In fairness, knowledge of the IMs makes the emails even more troublesome.
What galls me is that there were warnings transmitted to the leadership by the Member from Louisiana, which appear to have been handled casually. The parents of the young man apparently didn’t want to press the issue, but that should not have been a consideration in whether this mess should have been the subject of a formal investigation.
I note Mr. Murtha is willing to allow an “internal” investigation, so long as it can happen within the next ten days; I know this isn’t going to happen, so we’ll have the FBI, et al, doing its thing post election. Should further misconduct of the leadership be discovered during the investigation, it will be interesting to see how it is handled by the House, for it is the House who sets the criteria for allowing members to serve.
XXX: No, I mean all of them. If you did, you would grasp the difference between an IM and an EMAIL. You would know that all Hastert (allegedly) knew about were the EMAILS. CF has posted excerpts of the EMAILS (thank you CF), which I will agree are creepy in that they are inappropriately personal, and for which Foley was reprimanded.
You posted the disgusting IM stuff, which Hastert has denied knowing about. I think I believe him, because I can’t see anyone in his position protecting someone that stupid.
This is a repeat from another thread, but let’s look at it again.
“Rep. Reynolds’ NRCC received $100,000 from disgraced Rep. Foley in July, after he learned about Foley’s inappropriate emails with minors.
As reported yesterday, Reynolds declined to report the inappropriate emails to authorities or act on them — now we may know why.”
Hastert has acknowledged knowing about the “creepy” or “inappropriate” emails – but he did nothing.
Here’s something interesting. You can’t get to ABCs page about Foley’s IMs. I wonder why?
But here’s one of the IMs:
Maf54: You in your boxers, too?Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.
Another message:
Maf54: What ya wearing?Teen: tshirt and shortsMaf54: Love to slip them off of you.
And this one:
Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?Teen: A little.Maf54: Cool.
Sick, sick, sick!
Saving IM’s and emails from that long ago, someone in power knew about the IM’s too…IM’s don’t get saved for that long if noone knew.
Next time Dateline does a “to catch a predator” show, I strongly suggest that the target be in Washington DC. I’m thinking a whole lot of Repugnant seats would open up!
I don’t know PM – I’m told there is an awful lot of storage done routinely.
Tiahrt and Foley names came up in this exerpt from some Christian website I visited.Still, this was not a deal-breaker for conservatives, especially since on the same day as the Ways and Means vote President Bush made his first lobbying trip to the Capitol in order to ask wavering Republicans to vote for H.R. 7. Speaking in a basement conference room, the president did not deal with the question of whether H.R. 7 would help the groups about which he spoke most highly. Instead, he stressed the general effectiveness of a faith-based approach: “I saw it work its magic in places where hope had been lost.” He stressed, according to Rep. Tiahrt, that H.R. 7 “is so important to me that I want you to overlook some of the details and get it done.”
Rep. Pitts recalled several days later, “He was very passionate, obviously committed to this. He said, ‘This [religious approach] might not work for everybody, but it worked for me.’ You could see he was tearing up. He was saying, ‘give us a chance,’ and when he was ready to leave, I hope everybody was willing to say, ‘give him a chance.’” Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.), the National Football League hall-of-famer who in past years had stood up to Newt Gingrich, was also moved: “He was incredible. He had no notes, he wasn’t being handled at all, he was speaking from his heart.”
On the day that the House Ways and Means Committee voted and President Bush emoted, The Washington Post quoted from a purported Salvation Army memo and almost blew apart the deal. The Salvation Army (which already enters into many government contracts) has been concerned about whether it will be able to maintain its policy that single officers, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are to be celibate. Gay lobbyists view that as discrimination against homosexuals, and some 200 American communities now ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; some 160 require domestic partner benefits. The Salvation Army, according to Major George Hood, asked a consultant to propose a plan to defend its religious liberty. When the Post publicized the document as having come from the Army as part of a White House/Army cabal, suddenly the issue of discrimination against gays was wagging H.R. 7.
What looked like a deal-breaker arose July 17 at the hands of Mark Foley, a Florida Republican whose district includes part of liberal Palm Beach County. He proposed an amendment that would force religious organizations receiving federal dollars to comply with state and local civil-rights ordinances from which, under Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Law, they would otherwise be exempt. On July 18 the Family Research Council sent out an e-mail “Emergency Alert—Call Congress Now!” under the heading, “Homosexuals to Hijack Faith-Based Bill.”
Shannon Royce, direction of government relations and legislative counsel of the Southern Baptist Convention, rapid-fire called legislators about the “killer amendment” and said, “If that amendment passes we will oppose the bill. We’re not going to support a broadly expanded civil-rights measure to the benefit of homosexuals.”
Todd Tiarht’s press release is dated 9/29/06 and says something about the process being broken down. What the hell does that mean?
He is now blaming the process rather than the GOP leadership that knew Foley was doing this sexual emails/IM’s to minor male pages?
Where is his moral outrage at such behavior by a fellow Republican? I haven’t heard one word against Foley – it is about the “process”.
What I find ironic is that the Republicans have touted their party as the party of God. They have railed against the Democrats as being the party of non-Christians, atheists, etc.
It is time to clean out your house hypocrit Republicans – it should have been done back in 2005!
I just hope Foley wasn’t a close personal family friend of Tiahrt’s.
U know, I bet this wouldnt have been quite as bad if it was some hot chick, rather than fat boys…
I have something to say on this issue.If the Republicans knew about it, so did the Democrats.There is NO WAY Democrats would keep this quiet unless they were looking for a more opportune time to blow the whistle. How convenient it’s 4 weeks before Election time. Well, good for you Democrats, let’s just analyze and rail on this issue until you begin to turn on yourselves. Typical of Democrats to have many words, but not really say anything except to repeat each other.You Democratic far left secular progressives shouldn’t be throwing stones anyway. You have enough skeletons in your immoral closets to fill up mulitiple graveyards just as the Republicans.NO ONE in politics or in any position of power holds a corner on morality. Bill Clinton, Barney Franks and yes, Mark Foley as well as everyone else in D.C. are human beings, subject to the imperfect thoughts and actions.It truly leaves a stink when they are unrepentant, like Terry Fox.You can vent your indignation until the cows come home, but Foley resigned, he’s history, kaput, gone, good riddence, unlike some Democrats who got a slap on the wrist, ran for re-election, won and were allowed to continue their immoral, predatory, perverted lifestyle.Don’t let me stop you though, rail on, rail on.
TM,The lifestyles practiced by the rich and powerful in washington can’t hold a candle to an administration that uses subtrafuge to invade a country and leave over 2500 of our men and women dead on a battleground in a country we have no business being in. There is no excuse for Foley’s perversions, but to equate them with Clintons’ strumming some LEGAL aged female is pure hypocrisy.
TM,”ran for re-election, won and were allowed to continue their immoral, predatory, perverted lifestyle.” Who you talking about? Bush? He got re-elected and continued getting American men and women killed in Iraq. And used good old lies and subtrafuge to do so. How perverted is that? Me? I’ll take a knobber anyday. Beats killing people, unless, of course, your a fundi.
TM
Dems or others might have heard rumors. They might have even had some evidence. But to suggest that the Democrats are as complicit in shielding Foley as Republicans is to deny reality.
Do you understand how things work in the House of Representatives? The party in power controls the appointment of all the heads of the commitees. That includes the ethics commitee.The Republican controlled Ethics commitee will not look into the Foley matter until AFTER the election.Why?If you have been reading the thread carefully, you know that it is Republicans who have known about Foley for 5 years.
Upthread, I show Foley on a comitte with Todd Tiahrt. I also found a political organization that Foley, Tiahrt and many other Republicans in the House are members of. As much as we pretend the two factions in our government work together, they really do not. Foley was a hard line Republican. He hung out with hard line Republicans (when he wasn’t soliciting teenagers) I don’t imagine he spent a lot of time with Democrats.Not so much that they would have a hint of his secret life anyway.
Do not forget also the new reality that george bush has us living under. The party in power spies on people, listens to their phone calls, monitors what they read. There is a “with us or against us” mentality. In such a climate a liberal might be honestly afraid to rat out a conservative Republican, even if they did have embarrasing knowledge about him. That climate is the rights making, not the lefts.
By the way news update? Rumor is the conservative Washington Post will ask in editorial tomorrow for Dennis Hastert tomorrow.
There is a reason why you do not see the shill Paul Rosell or the bush apologists Hank or Heckler here TM. It is because the jig is up and this is political poison and they know it. You and Outlander are making yourselves look quite foolish pursuing this.
Hey don’t blame my side! We didn’t give you Jack Abramoff or Tom Foley.
Sorry
That should have read “will ask for Dennis Hasterts resignation tomorrow”.
JR & JM–good responses, but I predict you won’t hear much from TM.
He got his talking points from Rush and he repeated them. That’s the limit of his intellectual capacity. His role is done.
Responding to your rebuttals is way above his capabilities . . .
Ah maybe this is why republicans threw such a fit about searching a democrat congressperson’s home?
They knew they have things they want to hide too?
lol blaming this on dems – you repugs are so predictable, and you remind me of a 2 year old who got has chocolate all over his face and says “it wasn’t me”. Grow up already.
I read the links and copies of Foley’s emails or IMs. Those sure sounded like classic “grooming” – process whereby the perp gets the kid the ready for the next steps in the molestation process.
I am betting there are more than emails and IMs this character is hiding…
Found another Tiahrt Foley connection. My pal XXX will remember this one!
Hey X? Remember the link you posted to “foxes in the henhouse”? (I invite anyone to look for it, I can’t post links) That was the bunch that promised to term limit themselves. Of course, none of them did.
Well Tanker Todd and perv Foley are on that list.
Hey when the public lets ya break one commitment it gives you a sense of freedom to break through all sorts of barriers.
I assume TM is referring to Bill Clinton as the re-elected pervert Democrat that got his wrist slapped.
Perverted sexual behavior is not what Bill Clinton did with Monica. Immoral yes – perverted no. Foley was targeting young male pages over the internet. That is perverted sexual behavior.
And for that the GOP leadership should be held accountable too. As I heard in the news, Hastert knew about it and told Foley to “stop it”. Now that is slapping a wrist and letting the pervert go on and do more.
If this was really the Democrats that broke this story, they why did they do it 4 weeks before the election? The attention span of the average voter is at the most a week.
Their timing was way off. By this time next week, I’m sure there will be another scandal raising its ugly head.
Fariness in blogging.
Here is what MY Representative in Congress Todd Tiahrt had to say:
“Tiahrt Comments on the Mark Foley Matter†WASHINGTON, D.C. ñ U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) today released the following statement regarding the Mark Foley matter.”There was obviously a horrible and inexcusable breakdown in the system, and I call on leadership to conduct an investigation to find out why this happened and implement a better process to see that it never happens again.”†September 29, 2006
Todd?”I call on leadership….”
Uh yeah Republican congressman Reynolds did that some time ago. Denny Hastert smacked Foley’s hand and told him to stop it.
Todd? Call on the Ethics committe to fully investigate this NOW and not after the election.
Todd Tiahrt? This is the most attended and read online forum in Kansas and the second most posted newspaper blog in the nation.
Enough with the vague statements and half hearted “calls to action”. Explain yourself! What did you know and when did you know it?
Give him hell JR…
Why shouldn’t the Republican party be forever besmirched and branded as a bunch of sick pedophiles? After all they together with their Democrat adversaries did the same thing to the Catholic Church when a minority of Catholic priests molested kids. How ironic… I am pleased that God has such a sense of equitable justice not to mention humour!
Wasn’t Tiahrt one of the Republican who booed Nancy Pelosi when she called for an investigation? The Republicans voted to send the issue to a committee, run by Republicans, where the issue can die. The Republicans aren’t interested in an investigation to uncover corruption, they never are.
Foley was deeply invested in combating child sexual predators. Phill Kline is deeply invested in combating child sexual predators. Both seemed a bit too obsessed with the issue, I wonder if Kline will be entering a alcohol rehab clinic too.
I am still waiting for the Jew-controlled Mainstream Media to constantly remind the American public that all Republicans are pedophiles, just like they did while reporting every case of child molestation (even the monetary-intention ridden false accusations propagated by gold diggers) among “pedophile priests.”
Perhaps the zionist bastards can give them a catchy name like “Republican man-boy lovers?”
TM,
You’re out of your league here. Now that the shoe’s on the other foot, it’s pathetic to hear you squeal about the politics of personal destruction. Grow up. And shove that ’secular progressive’ slander up your santimonious ass. I don’t see any Democratic officeholders trying to give the high, hard one to teenage male pages working under their charge. At the moment, at least, that appears to be a Republican picadillio.
What we have here is systemtic corruption that goes all the way to the top of the House leadership, and the attempt to keep this thing quiet until after the November 7 election. So who’s worse here, TM: the leadership that knew something was amiss and tried to cover it up to retain their majority in the House, or the (presumed) Democrats who held on to this for a timed release? If you’re going to bitch about timing, you should bitch about Republican slow-walking of an investigation into a member who was a SEXUAL PREDATOR.
I’m done with you and your pissy, whiny Repukelickin’ victim complex. It doesn’t matter how much you Foley Republicans have under your control: you’re always the victim and you always want more.
Well, this time you be sure we’re going to hang this thing around your neck like the genuinely Republican albatross it is, and make you wear it until election day. The only difference is that when you tried to do it to the Big Dog with impeachment, you drove his approval ratings up in the 70’s. By the time we’re done with your sorry, Mark Foley-protecing Republican asses, Congressional approval ratings will be lucky to break 10%. And W will be whimpering for Karl to make the pain stop.
political_mom,
Many great points you’ve made upthread. The best is the one about saving the IM’s and emails. There’s something really, really stinky going on. At this point I’m not sure what the inside game is.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Oval Office as W, Dick, and Don contemplate . This shoves Rove’s “October Surprise” of last week right back up his ass.
Will,
The only thing more whiny than a Foley Republican is a whiny Catholic with a victim complex. FYI, Jews didn’t molest altar boys: Catholic priests did. Your attempt to shift the blame is every bit as transparent and flaccid as TM’s.
I don’t know if this was covered yet but the lack of Republican leadership on this issue has been atrocious. After being told about the inappropriate behavior those in charge of looking after the pages told Foley to watch his back.
After that were the Democrats warned about this behavior? Nope, the Republicans were more than happy to let a pedophile walk free to a bunch of uniformed pages in the Democratic party.
They also had no problem with Foley taking these kids out to dinner. Umm, if there’s a guy with a bit of a perversion pederastry problem you don’t want him taking children out unsupervised.
Hastert was a former wrestling coach for a high school. It’s pretty much the law everywhere for a school employee to report cases of potential molestation. If a teacher or coach fails to do this they can get fired and/or thrown in prison. Hastert knew about it and remained silent failing in his responsibility as a Congressman, father and someone who had a duty to report this unethical behavior.
This isn’t some new allegation, Republicans have known for years Foley’s fetishes. These are the people in charge of the security of our nation? They can’t even be trusted with the security of our children.
CF,Your apparent ineptitude at logical reasoning aside, (making representative fallacious statements such as Republicans being the “Party of Pedophiles”) I in no way attempted to “shift the blame” on anybody. Perception is reality CF, and when you constantly portray people as sick pedophiles (irregardless of religious or political affiliation) you do nothing but make groundless accusations encriminating an entire group for the perversions of the few perverted bad apples. You liberals never cease to amaze me, I find it particularly amusing that you resort to neo-McCarthyism CF! The only thing apparent between yourself and Captain Compost is your shared hatred for the Republican party. Speaking of perversions, I see you and Captain Compost had yourselves a grand old time with this thread! I wonder…
Was it as good for you as it was for him?
Gwahahahahahahaha!!!
OMG, CF! We’re being called GASP! gay.
Uh, Will, in case you haven’t noticed, people who aren’t homophobes don’t really see that as an insult.
It’s like calling somebody “HISPANIC!”
If you are hispanic, it’s true, and if you’re not hispanic, it’s meaningless.
Now, if you’re Ian, you get all mad about it, because he’s a self-loathing hispanic.
Are you a self-loathing gay, Will?
BTW, I am an Episcopalian (Anglican). We consider ourselves to be Orthodox Catholics too. We’re just not under the thumb of the Bishop of Rome and his patriarchy.
So don’t lump me in with some kind of irrational Catholic hatred.
Captain Compost,
As usual you misconstrue my words. I of course, am not surprised. The perversion I spoke of was about your apparent hatred for the Republican party. This is exemplified by CF’s irresponsible mischaracterizations regarding said party on this thread, coupled with your incessant insistence to the WE editors for a Foley thread that I’ve noticed you posted repeatedly on other threads! (For the sole reason that you could rip on Republicans, big surprise!) So Captain Compost, when I speak of you and CF’s apparent perversion, I am speaking metaphorically and not literally; granted that I don’t know anything about you or CF’s sexual orientation because I don’t know either of you personally, I asked if it was “good for him as it was for you” because apparently you two seem to get off on ripping on Republicans! Jeez! Watching you and CF rip on the entire Republican party is like watching a couple of sex-crazed monkeys dry humping a football!
Get a grip guys.
“If the Republicans knew about it, so did the Democrats.”
How do you figure that TM? Republicans have been pretty good at keeping secrets. All of the evidence indicates that GOP leaders knew but kept it hushed up.
Tanker Todd – ” I call on leadership to conduct an investigation ” Isn’t he part of the leadership? Well Todd – get to work!
will – “Jew-controlled Mainstream Media – Perhaps the zionist bastards can give them a catchy name like “Republican man-boy lovers?”
WOW! You sould ever further out than Ian!
Liberals don’t get to excited. Do you really think their aren’t pages out there who have been doing the wild thing with Democrats as well as Republicans. Hold on to your hats, I would be surprised if allegations against other members of congress don’t surface soon. If they do, watch and learn the diferences between how the two parties handle themselves on this issue.
“It’s all Bill Clinton’s fault!”
jw, we already know the difference, that’s why we don’t vote repugnican.Voting repugnican is like running in the special olympics.Even if you win, you’re still retarded.
I love to watch sex crazed monkeys humping footballs.Isn’t that a scene from Jackass II?Carry on Capn.It’s a top selling act right now.
JW–You’re right!
I’m sure if the Republicans can’t find some scandals, they’ll just make some up like they did with the “swift boating” of Kerry and the Gore “invented the internet” etc.
They are even now resurrecting the same swift boat gang of thugs to go after John Murtha.
BTW, it’s “too excited” not “to excited.”
(That’s homeschooling for ya.)
Will–
You hate me just because I support our troops and love our country.
For the record; although TM didn’t name names, he was likely referring to Congressman Gerry Stubbs (D-Conn).
Any evidence that Stubbs went after children?
Sorry TM, this is strictly a repugnican thing.They didn’t want dems to know because of the fear that they would lose Foley’s spot to a dem.
Ben, as I recall, haven’t researched it, Stubbs was involved in a homosexual relationship with a 17 year old page. Above the DC age of consent; still a “child” by legal definition. Interestingly, he was reelected 5 times following the “scandal”, before retiring.
In that case Vaugn he should have been booted.
Ben, I agree; however (again, from memory, which at my rapidly advancing age becomes more and more faulty), I believe the matter was referred to the House Ethics Committee, who determined no crime had occurred, and gave him a slap on the wrist. It is also my recollection that as the result of the Stubbs matter, the rules concerning pages were strengthened, so as to avoid recurrences of this kind of conduct.
Ben, I agree; however (again, from memory, which at my rapidly advancing age become more and more faulty), I believe the matter was referred to the House Ethics Committee, who determined no crime had occurred, and gave him a slap on the wrist. It is also my recollection that as the result of the Stubbs matter, the rules concerning pages were strengthened, so as to avoid recurrences of this kind of conduct.
My apologies for the double post.
Interesting that the GOP leadership kept the Foley thing from going to the ethics Committee. What were they trying to hids? And why?
Ben, those are some of the questions which should bedevil the GOP hereafter. Best guess: the leadership didn’t want the Dems to have knowledge.
Capn,
Yeah… sure… that’s exactly why I “hate” you. It’s amazing how you think I can hate you when I don’t know you. You take this blogging thing way too personal.
Will,
You sure took a long time to say…not much of anything. You used a lot of big words, though. I guess that impresses some folks.
However, the ‘few bad apples’ thing isn’t going to work. The corruption in the contemporary Party of Foley–that’s the Republican Party, Will–is as pervasive as it is well-documented. From their embrace of torture to their close ties to Jack Abramoff (over 400 logged visits to the White House), the Party of Foley has proven itself as venal as it is incompetent.
This GOP fish rots from the head. And when Democrats take one, if not both, houses of Congress this November, America NEEDS to have the light shined in on all of the shennanigans, lies, and abuses of power perpetrated by the Bush White House and the GOP-controlled Congress.
One party rule has been a DISASTER for America. And if to the victor go the spoils, then to the hegemon goes the blame when things go south.
Where exactly DOES the buck stop, Will?
The spin by the Reich Wing is impressive. Hannity blames Clinton claiming he met Monica when she was 19 (actually she was 22 and is a far cry from 16), so it’s Clinton’s fault for not committing statuatory rape, I suppose.
Then you have the Taliban, I mean the Family Research Council blaming the Republicans tolerance for gays as allowing this to happen. Because we all know the Republicans are always out there trying to not offend gays.
You have the Republicans in the House booing Nancy Pelosi calling for an investigation because she, as a concerned mother and grandmother, doesn’t want such lax standards to affect children in the future.
In other words the Republicans are making excuses and failing to take responsibility. Add this event to the list of failures for the Republicans.
And I forget, Matt Drudge, blames the children for being preyed upon. As usual the Republicans play the “blame the victim” game.
Doug,
Indeed. The puke-eating liars have been working overtime.
But I don’t think it’s going to make a bit of difference. The GOP can’t unring this bell. And aside from the dead-enders and losers defending Foley/Hastert/Boehner et al ad nauseum, the public is FUCKING PISSED. People are SCORCHING mad, and all the attempts by Drudge/Limbaugh/Hannity and the other puke eaters to blame the pages for inviting the abuse aren’t going down well at all. There are also calls for Tony Snow’s resignation.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of soft fascists.
Right-wing Washington Times calls for Hastert’s resignation:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/15663208.htm
“The Washington Times, a newspaper with a consistently conservative editorial page, called for Hastert’s resignation, and at least one conservative activist has done likewise.”
Ben Huie,
Apparently, John Boehner has re-hung Hastert out to dry, after first hanging him out to dry, and then un-hanging him.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001675.php
Watch ‘em all turn on each other to escape the media conflagration.
Things that make you go Hmmmm….
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=24078
Heckler,
Got your tinfoil hat on, do you? You know, the one that lets you tune in to secret broadcasts?
Who’d have thunk it: Heckler is a conspiracy nut. Got figure.
No Heckler – makes me go HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
I love seeing the Party of BushDaBum reap what they sow.
Clarification to earlier post; Stubbs was subject to Public Censure by the House after having sexual relations with a 17 year old male page.
Thank you Vaughn. Was there any evidence of a coverup attempt by leadership? In this case it is really the coverup that is causing the uproar.
CF
Doesnt take a tinfoil hat to think that the timing of the release of these revelations is not coincidence. For Chris’sake CF, that’s a pretty mild conspiracy theory compared to some that your lefty blog buddies engage in here on a routine basis.
I’m sure that it’s all Bush/Rove’s doing that oil has dropped nearly $2 today.
Will–
You hate me for my freedoms.
Oh, sorry, just had a “Bush moment” there . . .
Yes, my friend, I am gloating, publically gloating about this Foley scandal.
In the great scheme of things, it’s one of the Repuke’s more venal crimes as opposed to wanton killing in Iraq, sh*tting on the Bill of Rights, obliterating the budget surplus, turning a blind eye to terrorism resulting in 9-11, corporate cronyism that literally loots the national treasury, and stealing one if not both presidential elections.
Even though Foley’s crime is nowhere near as bad as what Godfather Bush has done to my beloved country, it is much less ambiguous.
Even the lazy, clueless corporate media can’t screw this up.
It’s absolutely black and white–right-wing Republican moralist caught with pants down.
Point. Set. and Match.
The Democrats can take the House and maybe the Senate now. It’s an important first step to taking control away from the worst administration ever.
Poor BushBots. Maybe somebody found out about the coverup and decided to blow the whistle. Too bad!
Ben, further clarification; not exhaustive research by any means; incident happened in 1973, he and a Republican from Illinois were subject of an Ethics committee investigation in 1983 (the Republican was involved in 1980 with a female page); both pled guilty to the accusations; Ethics committee voted for reprimand, Newty decided to go for ouster on the floor, House voted to Publicly Censure both. Studds (or Stubbs, as I found) was from MA, not CT as my memory had it; he was, in fact, reelected 5 more times; Republican defeated in next election. Found nothing suggesting any coverup; but, I’m sure, given lapse of time between wrongful act and Ethics Committee action, someone will make allegations. Also, fairness in blogging, Studds and page went to Morocco to “do the deed”; as mentioned earlier, page was 17 at time; both page and Studds held news conference after censure, both stating totally consensual.
Heckler–
I hope the timing was deliberate.
It shows that the Democrats aren’t totally moribund and gives the Repukes a taste of their own medicine.
Besides, the fact that the allegations were patently TRUE and Foley had to resign makes the timing pretty much irrelevant, doesn’t it.
Bwahhahaha.
Republicans have their feet nailed to the deck of the Titanic, there’s water up to their chin, and they’re saying, “there’s nothing better than a refreshing swim, is there?”
That’s what so great about the Foley scandal–it absolutely positively can’t be spun.
Eat it, Repukes. You just have to eat it.
Thanks Vaughn. To me the biggest problem with Studds is the typical “boss-employee” problem since it was a page. That said, I suspect censure was sufficiant. Apparently the GOP House agreed.
As a public service I give you the “How to Spot a Pedophile” test:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=spot_the_pedo
Capn
My you are hatefull in your glee. Are you and CF brothers?
Ben, I agree with your analysis; in fact, I think the Foley matter was also, in an indirect way, a “boss employee” situation in that many of the pages have political aspirations, and if so, one doesn’t want to upset someone who may be in position to help in the future.
Hackler – from your link:
“Oh, and you may also have heard about Jeanine Pirro. She was running for a Senate seat against the Hildebeast, but that didn’t last very long”
We have endured 14 years of “Slick Willie” “Hildabeast” and all sorts of hate-mongering from Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, Boortz, etc. Don’t complain when you guys get to reap what you have sown for 14 years.
Paybacks are hell ain’t they!
Heckler,
No, but the Cap’n and I are brothers in Schadenfreude.
Ben
Oh come on now, if anyone is worthy of an ugly nickname it’s Hillary. But go ahead, vent your spleen, or pancreas, or where ever all that stuff’s saved up. I’m just here to help.
Thank you heckler. With all the spleen – and others – I have received over the past 14 years it just makes good sense to return it. And, “Oh come on now, if anyone is worthy of an ugly nickname it’s Bush”!
No time to post these days. . .only skimmed the thread.
My question is this: What I see is a guy acting pretty creepy but probably not illegally, i.e, smoke. The question I have: was there also fire? Did the good MOC have happy hands as well?
One has to wonder how much else we DON’T know, and how much ourMoral¬Æ GOP leaders did. I find it quite easy to believe that they would harbor, say, murderers and rapists, if it served their political interests. Just look at their policies.
One guy with a penchant for teen boys would be quite easy to overlook–if it could just be kept quiet.
One more thing: I am very big on the presumption of innocence, due process etc., you know, all those things the GOP offically despises (if Foley fought back, I would have reserved judgment, and tried not to crack up!).
Where are their official lynch-masters on this guy? Send him to Gitmo.
More Righties call for Hastert to go …
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/10/02/conservatives-call-for-hastert-to-resign/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthinkprogress.org%2F2006%2F10%2F02%2Fhastert-resign%2F&frame=true
Conservative Activists Call on Hastert To ResignConservative talk show host Michael Reagan and Citizens United President David Bossie have called on House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign immediately over his role in covering up Mark Foley’s inappropriate behavior. Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, was molested at age 8 by a camp counselor.
From a release:
“Speaker Hastert had knowledge of Congressman Foley’s inappropriate behavior and chose to protect a potential pedophile and powerful colleague over a congressional page,” said David Bossie, president of conservative advocacy group Citizens United.
“This inaction demonstrates a lack of leadership on Speaker Hastert’s part, and calls into question both his judgment and character. If Speaker Hastert was willing to sacrifice a child to protect Rep. Foley’s seat and his own leadership position, then he surely does not share our American and conservative values,” says Mr. Bossie. …
Michael Reagan, nationally syndicated radio show host and chairman of Citizens United’s Faith and Family Project, is also calling for resignations. “Any member of Congress who was aware of the sexual emails and protected the congressman should also resign effective immediately. I was sexually abused by a day camp counselor at age eight and also made to be part of child pornography,” Mr. Reagan stated.
Ben
Based on what I’ve heard I find the calls for Hasterts resignation a little rediculous, even from Reagan. Please fill me in if I’ve missed it but from what I hear all Hastert knew was that Foley had written some e-mails that where a little weird by some people’s description but not sexually suggestive in any way. Is there more to it than that?
What fun!
Throw Denny Hastert under the bus and see if that stops it rolling over the cliff.
Hey, might work. Denny is a pretty big boy!
Sorry, Heck, can’t resist:
What did the Speaker know, and when did he know it?
Rage
Hey, as cliche’ as it sounds that’s kind of what it boils down to.
And, Rage and Heckler, let’s not forget to ask what was the effect of Foley’s $100 K donation to the RNCC about the time he was being “admonished”?
Good point Vaughn. “Follow the money”
Well, well, well… some new allegations being reported on the abc news web sight by former pages concerning Mr. Foley. Sorry, don’t have the link; wonder why these pages retained transcripts of the emails from 2003?
http://blogsabcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/new_foley_insta.html
“If the Republicans knew about it, so did the Democrats.”
That might possibly be the lamest thing ever said on this blog, and that, my friends, is “going some” as we say out here.
A little research will tell you that the R pages report to an R supervisor and the D pages report to a D supervisor. (And I am using the term supervisor with distain.)
So, if the pages, in the interest of party loyalty, dont even report to the same supervisors, do ya think the supervisors share notes with each other?
heheheheh. To quote Dave “ya think?”
Nope, they guard all their little party secrets and tell the kids if they want a political career, they better do the same.
No culture of corruption there.
And if gerry was re-elected five times, shouldnt the people of OHIO be blamed? After all, the last time I checked, the whole district voted, not just the dems. He had… wait for it… REPUBLICAN support for re-election too.
I agree CF. Waaaaay out of league.
You really need to read the link about “I feel sorry for the freeptards…”.
Heheheh.
Indeed. The truth shall set you free.
Why does TM hate the truth about republicans but loves it about the ayatollah terry?
Nice gymnastics move. That contortion earns a “10″ from me.
Sorry, guys; the link is: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/new_foley_insta.html
“leftwing conspiricy” – Sean Hannity
So, now we know the talking points. “It’s all Clinton’s fault”
And while we are on the subject of the culture of corruption…
Is phill kline lying again? (no, it isnt a rhetorical question, and yes, I do see his lips moving.)
From a friends’ blog:
FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL LEAVES KLINES OFFICE
Former Attorney General Bob Stephan who has been serving as a “special assistant” to Phill Kline resigned without providing a reason. key legal and political adviser to Atty. Gen. Phill Kline resigns.
Kline, a Republican, held a news conference saying his inquisition helped lead to the arrest of a 21-year-old Topeka man for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl in Marshall County.
Kline’s demands for the records, which contain the sexual histories of teenage girls, has been a central controversy to the campaign.
There is one problem with Kline’s statement – that is, Kline has yet to actually receive the records. The Court is still reviewing the records. The abortion clinic says the record in case wasn’t among those sought. So, how did the records lead to this arrest? They didn’t. Kline is lying. Again.
Former Kansas Republican Chairman Dennis Jones has endorsed Democrat Paul Morrison for Attorney General.
http://www.kansasprairie.net/blog1/blogindex.htm
Oh, and I found this about the emails, and who had them when.
Turns out fux news and some florida newspapers had them last year and just decided not to run the stories.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Fox_had_Foley_emails_chose_not_1003.html
But of course, it is the D’s who didnt report it…
ksfarmgrrl,
But of course. We’re elite, we’re effete, we hate America, and we’re liberal. It’s ALL our fault.
The Republicans are just ‘insulation’ against us; that’s what Denny says. And we all know he has no reason to lie.
Heckler, Am I gleeful in my hatred or hateful in my glee.
You know, I think it’s both.
I hate what George W. Bush stands for with every fiber of my being: his crony capitalism, his family priviledge, his utter contempt for democracy and the will of the people, his faux-morality to inculcate homophobia, his manipulation of tragedy and patriotism to justify the occupation Iraq and the looting of taxpayers’ money, the “piratization” of social security, the aiding and abetting of corporations to outsource and avoid paying their fair share, helping the vampire rich suck the blood from the veins of the poor, giving the tax surplus to the same one percent who own 40 percent of all US wealth, the arrogance of ignorance.
But just when one almost despairs that anything can ever improve, the plodding horse sense of the American people reasserts itself.
As the libertarian Justin Raimondo puts it:
“Republicans are headed for a drubbing at the polls, and it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving party. Ever since the neocon takeover of this administration, they have been headed for disaster, and now that it is finally striking I just want to sit back and enjoy the spectacle of their extended and agonizing demise. That’s right, ’stay the course,’ guys! Until you fall right into that inviting abyss . . . “
About the timing of the release of Foley’s IMs…
That’s politics, hahahahahahaha!
I am a Republican, and make no apologies for it. The actions by Rep Foley are disgusting regardless of his party affiliation. It doesn’t take too much brainpower or work to find perverts and pedophiles in both parties That being said I have the following suggestions:
1) If Foley commited unwanted sexual acts on anyone, he should be castrated with a dull knife and be allowed to bleed to death
2) If Foley commited consensual sexual acts with a minor, he should be castrated and placed in the general population of any violent offender prision
3) If Foley did not commit sexual acts, but had internet or phone sex or whatever the hell you call it, with a minor, and it is against the law, he should serve the maximum sentence. period, no parole.
4) If it can be proven that anyone had knowledge of illegal acts, and did nothing to report it/stop it/prevent it, they should suffer the same fates. That includes any reporter who held on to the information, regardless of his reasoning.
Any takers?
Gotta run, but latest from Foley are allegations he was molested by a clergyman between age 13 and 15.
Foley’s excuse:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/15663146.htm
Lawyer says Foley was molested as a teenAssociated PressWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Former Rep. Mark Foley’s attorney said Tuesday that his client was molested between the ages 13 and 15 by a clergyman.
Foley had represented the West Palm Beach district for 12 years and was seeking re-election until his sudden resignation last week after the disclosure of lurid online communications with teenage congressional pages.
“This is part of his recovery,” Roth said, declining to identify the clergyman or the church.
Roth also announced for the first time that Foley is gay.
He insisted Foley never had sexual contact with a minor.
Can Rove find the silver lining in all of this, will we see a Get Out the Pedophile vote drive?
I still have not heard any moral outrage from the Religious Right about Mark Foley’s behavior. I’ve seen alot of trying to sweep this under the rug like it is no big deal.
This behavior is perverted and everyone (even if it goes to George W. Bush himself) that did not report it or just slapped Foley on the wrist by telling him “stop it” needs to be held accountable.
The GOP pretends to be the party of morals and God – where is the outrage?
lucee: You puzzle me. How should this outrage be demonstrated? Jumping up and down? Riot?
Foley is pervert. So are a lot of others. Why should the “Religous Right” be more outraged about this than the rest of the perverted crap that goes on in this sad culture? Personally, I’m much more sickened and outraged at the school shootings, child pornography, abortion, child abuse, family incest, etc…
The more secular this society becomes, the more coarse and sick it becomes.
I didn’t shift the blame. I merely stated a fact that the Dems had to know too. Juicy gossip like that in D.C. doesn’t stay silent, not unless there is added value for keeping it quiet until a more opportune time arises.Mark Foley, the Republicans and the Democrats, ALL should have dealt with this years ago. All share the blame.Yes, Mark Foley’s behavior and actions are perverted and sickening. He should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, if the FBI finally gets around to investigating him.I don’t care WHOSE behavior it is, if it’s wrong, IT’S WRONG!
Well, it’s all better now because Mark Foley was molested by a clergyman.
All things considered, I wanna see some proof.
If only foley were a leftist, taxachusetts demorat, he would be re-elected for the rest of his life! Oh well, good riddance to that scumbag.
V.L.R.B!!
I ask about the outrage from the Religious Right becaus they are supposed to be the ones driving the GOP party into the party of morals and ethics – aren’t they?
Where is Todd Tiarht’s outrage? His statement was only about the process has a breakdown and needs to be investigated. How about saying that Foley should have been ousted back in 2005 when Hastert was shown the emails?
Everyone is so mad because the Muslims do not show outrage at their fanatic fringe – I am just asking where the moral outrage is on one of the GOP’s own?
And by outrage I don’t mean to riot in the street – but these self righteous Republicans who are supposed to be such good Christian people are completely silent about Foley – why? At least speak up and say he was wrong.
Just how are the Democrats to have known about Foley and did something about him? The Republicans have had total control for several years. Democrats are locked out of many of the committee rooms and certainly locked out of the White House.
Just how do you propose that the Democrats would have done something?
If you think this is dirty politics, then perhaps part of the blame should be on the GOP also?
Why should the religious right care more about Foley than every other case? Because, it’s like we found out the head of the CIA was selling secrets to the enemy. This guy is a champion of the religious right, well, right up until his well-timed fall from grace (good timing, Dems, although you still pale in comparison to the dirty politics of the GOP. Steal this election for good measure to catch up.)
He is not just some casual member of congress, he is one of the heaviest hitters when it came to sex offender legislation, same-sex marriage, Amber Alert, Missing & Exploited Children.
Closet case self loather, yes. But the outrage should be that he BETRAYED THE VERY PEOPLE WHO OUGHT TO BE PISSED AT HIM RIGHT NOW, and they sit around like it’s just another day at the races. They are very casually disappointed. This is lucee’s point.
Thanks Postal. Everybody knows that if this was a Democrat – all those self righteous Republicans would be the first ones to call for the man’s head.
I’m puzzled now Outlander – do you not consider what Mark Foley did with these minor male pages child abuse or borderline child pornography?
I certainly do.
Postal,
He was hardly an icon of the religious right. In fact, he was a favorite of the log cabin republicans and he accepted funds from the Human Rights Campaign, a pro-homosexual group.
v.L.r.B!!
Outlander?
Secular society does have its failings.
Overy religious societies have far worse failings.
We aren’t burning folks at the stake for “withchcraft”. Young pregnant girls are not sent away to live in shame while simultaniously being forced to raise a child they cannot provide for. People, well, MOST people are not killed, attacked, or persecuted for how they live or what they do or do not believe. And in the instances where that DOES occur, it is religious folk behind it.
TM
I have tried to explain to you. Farmgrrl tried to explaining to you. There is a great disconnect between the circles Democrats and Republicans socialize and work in in D.C. There may have been rumors the Democrats heard. But Democrats would have had NO direct access to Foley’s social circle. When congressman Reynolds took what he knew to Denny Hastert the info was not shared with Democrats.
No folks on the right. This one is all yours. This is what you get with one party government under Republicans. No doubt the worst in Republican leaders is made more so by the blank check their followers have given them to steal our liberties in order to “protect us”. They must see the casual dismissal of each ever growing scandal as invitation to further test the boundaries of what they will try to get away with.
LOL yeah sure outlander & TM, blame this one on the godless liberals.
If this is all due to our ’secular society’ explain to me why Canada, Sweden, and Australia..and all those liberal countries don’t HAVE these problems? Yet, the most religious countries do?
I’ve often spoken about my Peruvian friend who was schooled by some very european style nuns. SHE has a grasp on the world, while those around her are amazingly abusive, corrupt, and family dynamics are mind boggling…of course that’s all swept under the rug and they put on their good Catholic faces.
Yes, lets turn our nation into one like Mexico, or Italy where all the corruption, sexual abuse is rampant, because they all just close their eyes to it all. That’s what good religious people do.
Or we could be more like Muslim countries? Please tell me which nation is one you’d like us to be like? Give me some examples.
Yes Foley was a big part of the Religious Right. His lawyer only today told the world that Foley is gay.
Like I care….that’s not the problem. He was sending sexual explicit messages to minor male pages.
Heckler:Farmer is wrong about Clinton’s attempts at Bin Laden being illegal.The orders he cites are about foreign heads of state. Bin Laden is not a recognized head of state.
Hastert has changed his story multiple times.
First he had no knowledge about this. Then he said he did and had asked Foley to stop.
YESTERDAY in his rant he said he was glad that Foley had resigned and that if he had known about the depths of Foley’s behavior, he would have demanded Foley resign. TODAY he says he approached Foley and told him to resign!
And notice: all the Repukes are fighting over Foley’s $2.5 million campaign war chest. Hate the sin and the sinner, but LOVE that campaign cash.
Nice scruples there, Repukes.
CF & Capn Compost,
Celebrating the misfortunes of one’s adversaries are not qualities of good leadership.
I reiterate what I said earlier:
Get a grip.
“I merely stated a fact that the Dems had to know too.”
FACT? It’s called unsubstantiated supposition TM. Not fact. They might have heard rumors but had they tried to do something to him based solely on rumor you would have pilloried them. The FACT is that the GOP leadership KNEW – they have claimed credit for that. They also worked to keep it quiet. And, I hope they pay – big time – with their careers:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15117698/
Sex scandal, Iraq book take toll on Bush, GOPNBC/WSJ poll: Bush back in 30s; Dems favored for control of CongressMark MurrayPolitical reporter
WASHINGTON — After what they have seen and heard over the past few weeks — events including the news of a Republican congressman’s improper correspondence with a teenage page and the recent release of journalist Bob Woodward’s unfavorable portrayal of the Bush administration’s handling of Iraq – respondents to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, say they have a less favorable impression of the Republicans maintaining control of Congress.
What’s more, a strong plurality believes the Iraq war is hurting the country’s ability to win the war on terrorism, a significant shift from a month ago.
Will–
You’re absolutely right.
We leftists shouldn’t celebrate the fact that a hypocritical bastard who gets his base to the polls by whipping up rage against gays turns out to actually be gay.
That wouldn’t be good leadership.
BwahahahHAHAHA!
The Repukes finally got nailed for something. After all the lies and bullshit, they finally got just a little bit of what’s coming to them.
YEE HAW!
Will – while “Celebrating the misfortunes of one’s adversaries are not qualities of good leadership” in this case there is another factor to consider. We have endured 14 years of vile Clinton-bashing and Democrat-bashing from Foley, Hastert, etc etc etc.
Paybacks are Hell ain’t they!
“He was hardly an icon of the religious right. In fact, he was a favorite of the log cabin republicans..”
IAN, I CALL BULLSHIT ON THAT!!!!!
The child molester republican foley had… wait for it…
AN 84% FAVORABLE RATING FROM THE CHRISTIAN COALITION!!!!!
Dont believe me, check out more lies from the oh so righteous religious right.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364×2300527
The gay community has hated this pig fucker for years. He denied being gay. He supported any anti-gay measure he could find.
And he was a well known figure in gay bars. It was an open secret about him being gay.
How do you know for sure one of these pious bastids is gay?
See how many anti-gay measures they support.
Fred phelps anyone?
Jesus wept Ian. You are usually better than THAT!!!!!
hee hee hee hee
Of course, you all remember that the christian coalition, the one that gave foley an 84% approval rating, was founded by Pat “gays are responsible for katrina” Robertson and run by Ralph “I never met an abramhoff bribe I didnt take” Reed.
I think the christian coalition lost any moral high ground long before foley. This just confirms it.
And you want a LESS secular society?
How is the theocracy going?
Ya know, I got a “heads up” email from one of my political buddies yesterday afternoon, before the presser, that they were going to spin this as the fault of “the evil gays” and the “demon rum”.
Watch. They did. They will.
Hey, and if they can blame it on the evil gay clergy, so much the better. If foley isnt using that as his excuse, why bring it up?
Hehehehehe. And you want a MORE secular society? When his lawyer all but says clergy are responsible for creating foley?
hehehehehehhehe
I think you right wing kookaide drinkers are getting a taste of your own hatemongering.
So. Which is it? You want more child molesting clergy in charge of our government? Or fewer child molesting clergy running our government? Exactly how “non-secular” do you want it to be?
hehehehe.
Oh, and by the way, when will you stop beating your wife?
The guy is a pedophile.
ksFG – I’d like your commentary on my thinking about Foley. Since he was gay but also a member of the “religious Right” he had to be horribly conflicted. After all, everything he stood for proclaims that he is inherently evil. That then manifests itself in pathology – the pedophilia that he practiced.
Contrast that with an open gay person living in an accepting world. He/she can have an adult partner and live a normal life (although quite bit different than mine!).
So I wonder – does the suppression lead to pathology?
By the way, before anyone jumps to bashing gays for this – the guys who shot up the schools (PA and CO) were HETEROSEXUAL!
I dont know how to answer that Ben.
I think on the surface, the logic of it has merit. LOTS of bad things come from oppression and from living an inauthentic life.
It is the inauthenticity that causes a break in integrity which results in a loss of power. And hence, lots of bad things come from compensating for the loss of power.
And telling the truth about ourselves and our lives restores integrity and the power of our word. Lots of good things come from that too, if you can stand the hatred it also generates.
Having said all that, I also think pedophiles are pedophiles. It isnt even a question of orientation.
I dont think child molesting is just bad behavior or acting out. I think it is a deep seated personality disorder that has little to do with sex and everything to do with power.
Rape is rape, whether perpetrated on a child or an adult. And rape is always about power, acted out in a sexual arena.
I dont think child abusers of any stripe are made by outside forces. I think people who beat kids, starve kids, and terrorize them emotionally are just as sick inside as the sexual molesters.
I dont know why some people turn their rage and powerlessness on children.
All I do know is that being gay is not the same as being a child rapist.
No matter how hard the republicans and religious institutions try to spin it that way.
Perhaps Steven Davis can weigh in on this subject?
And…
Where oh WHERE is paulie?
Or Joe Williams?
Or ckd?
Or sts?
The usual suspects are conspicuously silent.
And that silence is deafening right now.
Are you talking about the Murtha ABSCAM video? Yeah, facts are hard things for liberals to deal with.Sorry about all of the typos, I went to a government school.
jw, you have moved from stupid to pathetic
But nice try at the bipartisan smear. We are amused, and we do encourage you to try again.
Got links?
…and do you have the links for your previous “smoke out the ass” statments?
Thought not.
Gentle people,
I realize that you seem to need a local token, religious right, conservative republican to pick on, so I’ll give you the official view from the right.
First off, what do we know right now?
Well, a gay republican pervert has resigned from congress because some instant messages have been made public.
That’s all we really know! Is he a pedophile? No proof, I wouldn’t bet against it, but there have not been any allegations of actual physical sexual contact with a minor. Furthermore, pedophilia is normally associated with young children, not post-pubescent teenagers. Seventeen-year-old teenagers. A more accurate term for Foley would be… well…homosexual. But, we can’t blame his actions on that fact, being a homosexual is perfectly OK in today’s society.
Then there is the problem of what did Hastert know and when did he know it? Actually everyone knows the facts.
Hastert knew last year that a former congressional page was getting emails from Foley and that the parents wanted them to stop. The emails were brought to the attention to the people in authority and they were stopped. That’s all that Hastert or any one else knew. This was referred to the FBI then and they decided there was nothing actionable. The information was leaked to several news outlets and they determined ‘no news’. The family did not want any publicity or action taken against Foley. They just wanted the emails to stop.
Then, the dreaded instant messages came to light! Phone sex! Oooh! Imagine, some dirty old queer pervert fantasizing about sex with a teenage boy via instant messages! The crime here? He’s a republican! Therefore, he must resign. He did, story over.
Anything else that now goes on in the news is no more than a bunch of despicable democrats trying to make political hay over some unfortunate queer’s private life. That’s their only chance to gain the house via the mid-term elections.
Hank
If this were ancient Rome and Foley were a Roman Senator, this whole incident would be considered perfectly normal. In pagan Greek society it was socially acceptable for men to have sex with boys ONLY -and this is an important fact- before the boys started growing beards! In pagan Roman society virtually every member of the Senate had boy lovers, while at the same time being married men with families.
So ask yourselves again, is this really the uber-repressive fascist Christians fault that the same problem is felt in our society? Child rape by old perverts were going on since before Jesus Christ! Must you liberals blame the ills of society in general on Christianity alone? I won’t be commenting anymore lest I lose face as well as my temper.
KFG,What are you talking about “repression?” From what I gather Foley wasn’t forced into his former position by Pat Robertson or the pope! He put himself in that position!
Hank sez
“Anything else that now goes on in the news is no more than a bunch of despicable democrats trying to make political hay over some unfortunate queer’s private life.”
Well Republican congressmen beg to differ.
Three prominent Republican congressmen now confirm that Dennis Haster had knowledge of Foley’s activities last year.
So that means this is bigger than Foley. That means criminal activity was covered up.
That means that Denny Hastert has a choice. He may now fall on his sword or await daggers of “righteous indignation” (and self preservation) to take him.
And it won’t end there…..
I wonder if Hank’s assessment of the Foley scandal would be the same if the sex pervert would have been a Democrat?
How sad it is that these so-called moral religious Republicans have to stoop so low into the sewer to come to the defense of the indefensible.
BTW, it has been reported that Foley had a reputation for this behavior for the last 11 years – so much for your defense of Hastert.
So sad that all we hear from the Republicans is a bunch of run-around stuff. Now we even have to hear about the Roman Senators having sex with pre-puberty boys. That was a real stretch – BTW, I believe the Roman Empire fell – didn’t it?
Ah JR,
Some times you almost get me. I almost think that you actually believe this crap you post.
Hastert only knew about the emails a year ago. That’s all he ever admitted to knowing about. There is no evidence that he knew anything about the IMs.
Criminal activity? What crime has been committed? No one has accused Foley of a crime. So far he is only guilty of being gay while a republican.
The emails that Hastert knew about were creepy, why? Because it was common knowledge among everyone that he was gay. Congressmen, pages, constituents, everyone knew he was gay. His nickname amongst the pages was FFF, Fag from Florida. If you read the emails that Hastert knew about not knowing that Foley was gay they are pretty inocuous. Knowwing they are from ol’ FFF piuts another light on them.
Hastert has nothing to worry about as long as he has the balls t stand firm against a bunch of hypocritical democratic nitwits.
Hank
How was that a stretch? I was merely making a comparison between two Western cultures, rebuffing the slanderous position that “repressive” Christianity is the cause for pedophilia. As some over here would have us believe!
Ugh! All I’m seeing is SPIN SPIN SPIN blame somebody else for Foley’s sick actions! Personal responsibility has indeed left the building!
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/15671074.htm
Federal probe intensifies over e-mailsANDREW TAYLOR and LARA JAKES JORDANAssociated PressWASHINGTON – The Justice Department ordered House officials to “preserve all records” related to disgraced Rep. Mark Foley’s electronic correspondence with teenagers, intensifying an investigation into a scandal rocking Republicans five weeks before midterm elections.
The development came as a congressional aide who counseled Foley to resign last week submitted his own resignation Wednesday. “I never attempted to prevent any inquiries or investigation,” Kirk Fordham said in a statement.
Fordham was once Foley’s chief of staff. At the time of his resignation he had been serving in the same capacity for Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., a member of the GOP leadership who has struggled to avoid political damage in the scandal’s fallout.
Republicans have been struggling to put the scandal behind them, but another member of the leadership, Rep Roy Blunt of Missouri, said pointedly during the day he would have handled the entire matter differently than Speaker Dennis Hastert did, had he known about the complaints when they were first raised last year.
“I think I could have given some good advice here, which is you have to be curious. You have to ask all the questions you can think of,” Blunt said. “You absolutely can’t decide not to look into activities because one individual’s parents don’t want you to.”
Foley resigned last week after he was reported to have sent salacious electronic messages to teenage male pages. He has checked into an undisclosed facility for treatment of alcoholism, leaving behind a mushrooming political scandal and legal investigation.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor for the District of Columbia sought protection of the records in a three-page letter to House counsel Geraldine Gennet, according to a Justice official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Such letters often are followed by search warrants and subpoenas, and signal that investigators are moving closer to a criminal investigation.
The request was aimed at averting a conflict with the House similar to a standoff in May when FBI agents raided Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson’s office seeking information in a bribery investigation.
Meanwhile, FBI agents have begun interviewing participants in the House page program, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. The official declined to say whether the interviews were limited to current pages or included former pages.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos stressed that the investigation is still preliminary. Also, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed that it has begun its own preliminary inquiry. Spokesman Tom Berlinger said the case is in its initial stages and is not a full-blown criminal inquiry.
Fordham played a key role in fast-developing events late last week. Initially, Foley was reported to have written overly friendly – not sexually explicit – e-mails to a former Capitol page. A day later, ABC news followed up with a report that said the Florida lawmaker had also sent sexually explicit instant messages to at least one other male page.
He said earlier this week he asked Foley about the sexually explicit instant messages, and the congressman confirmed they were probably his.
“Like so many, I feel betrayed by Mark Foley’s indefensible behavior,” he said. He blamed Democrats for seeking to make a political issue of the matter in Reynolds’ re-election campaign, “and I will not let them do so.”
There were signs of concern among Republicans, as well.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona called for a group of former senators and others to investigate how the House handled the affair.
“We need to move forward quickly and we need to reach conclusions and recommendations about who is responsible,” McCain said during a campaign speech for Sen. Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island. “I think it needs to be addressed by people who are credible.”
Some other Republicans rallied to the speaker. The chairmen of two coalitions of social and fiscal conservatives in Congress said he should not step down. “Speaker Hastert is a man of integrity,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., said in a joint statement.
Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., the congressman who sponsored the page at the heart of the furor, said Hastert “knew about the e-mails that we knew about,” including one in which Foley asked the page to send his picture. But he quickly backed off that comment, saying he discussed the e-mails with Hastert’s aides, not the speaker himself.
“I guess that’s a poor choice of words that I made there,” he told AP.
Hastert has insisted he not know about the e-mails that were discussed with his staff.
Alexander said in an interview he first took up the matter after receiving press inquiries in November, when he told Hastert’s staff and the parents of the 16-year-old boy who received the e-mails. The parents wanted the correspondence stopped but apparently did not want to take the matter further.
After a second round of press inquiries in the spring, Alexander said, he again notified the family and discussed the e-mails with the new majority leader, John Boehner of Ohio, on the House floor during a vote.
Alexander said Boehner turned first to Reynolds, the architect of the Republican midterm election strategy.
“I went to Boehner before Reynolds,” Alexander told AP. “He sent Reynolds to me to talk about it. Within a minute Reynolds and I were talking.”
Boehner and Reynolds have both said they had spoken with Hastert about a complaint concerning a former page from Louisiana last spring, after Alexander told them about it.
The uproar that followed Foley’s resignation has enveloped Republicans who were already at risk at losing control of Congress in elections five weeks away.
Conservative activist Richard A. Viguerie was among those who called for Hastert to step down. “The fact that they just walked away from this, it sounds like they were trying to protect one of their own members rather than these young boys,” Viguerie said on Fox News.
Hastert has he would not quit.
Alexander defended Hastert on Wednesday, as well as his own response.
“Hey, what else was I supposed to do?” Alexander asked. “I was very uncomfortable even talking to somebody in the speaker’s office.”
Dear lucee,
“I wonder if Hank’s assessment of the Foley scandal would be the same if the sex pervert would have been a Democrat?”
My answer is yes.
Furthermore, I didn’t come to Foley’s defense. I think what he did was pretty disgusting. Not surprising, but disgusting. I merely was stating the only facts about the ’scandel’ Actually as a gay man I think that he has more class than most, at least he didn’t actually carry out any of his fantasies on these ‘Children’. He didn’t leave his wife and kids to carry on some homosexual affair. His real ‘crime’ as far as all of the gay rights groups go was merely trying to keep his sex life private.
Hastert, on the other hand, needs no defense. He’s done nothing wrong. Oh sure, he’s kind of a weak leader but the republicans went out of their way to elect a non-confrontational leader so as not to upset the democrats.
Hank
I wonder if it is the water in DC that does it? I knew Dennis Hastert when he first ran for Congress; I even worked on his campaign. He was a man of honor. Unfortunately, he has time and time again shown that honor has left him.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2527671wherein the aide who resigned today claims he had a conversation with the Speaker’s office two years ago.
For those who state the Speaker only had the emails initially, there wasn’t anything there, I would say that, in a vacuum, that is, without the other information that seems to have been circulating among the various GOP members for at least 5 years, I’d agree. However, when the other factors that seem to keep arising in the public reporting of the matter are taken into account, the “innocent” emails don’t look so innocent; by the way, I’m not referring to the IMs here. Like Watergate, Iran Contra, Monica, the Plame matter; it’s the coverup, stupid!
Come on Ben,
Hastert seems to be an OK guy. You are just falling for all of the crap the dems are saying about him. Mostly lies and enuendos.
Hank
No Hank – I suspect that I have followed his career a lot longer and closer than you. Unfortunately “You are just falling for all of the crap Rush O’Hannitys are saying about him. Mostly lies and enuendos.”
Good linkpost Ben.
Told ya Hank.
Beohner, Reynolds, and Alexander all say Hastert knew.
Of course, that means THEY knew as well. I guess they are trying to put it on Hastert since he IS the Speaker.
I say they ALL oughtta go.
Hey Ben,
You’ll have to ask JR about Hannity and Rush. He seems to be able to listen to them more than I do. I’m at work. Working.
Hank
Hank – I happened to have to be out doing errands yesterday – that is when I heard Hannity blame the leftwing conspiricy. I also heard that Hastert appeared on their shows from the morning news plugs on KNSS.
Hastert knew what JR? That Foley was queer? Everyone knew!
They didn’t say he knew about sexually explicit IMs.
Hank
Come on Ben,
Yu think the left isn’t responsible for all of this crap?
Do you think Hastert isn’t going anywhere that will have him?
So what?!
Hank
Of course the left did it – we spiked his booze with rufies!
/sarcasm off
Will,”So ask yourselves again, is this really the uber-repressive fascist Christians fault that the same problem is felt in our society?”Foley claims his prediliction for little boys is a result of being molested by his priest.
“Yu think the left isn’t responsible for all of this crap?”
Hank, you think the “left” IS responsible for “all of this crap?”
Woof. You really are a republican.
What happened to the party of personal responsibility?
heheheh. So then, following your logic, the right really was responsible for all clinton’s crap?
hehehehehehehehehehehheheeh
A.F.B.O.
Anyone’s fault but ours……