Republicans start hearing ABBA singing in their heads.

How much would you like to bet on the "Waterloo"
assertion?

Something about the phrase "poster child" just sounds wrong for this.

Democratic leadership should be calling for the immediate resignation of everyone involved...

This does involve systemic corruption, it's about who they are and the kind of people who find refuge in the Republican party.

Combine the incredible number of Republicans convicted of sex crimes with the number found guilty of ordinary crimes and you have a percentage so drastically higher than the normal population it's incredible even the mainstream media can ignore it.

They must be afraid people would think they're making it up.

Apart from the political issues here, I have a simple practical proposal.

Get rid of the whole congressional page program. Seriously, why do grown men need little kids around to get them their popcorn? If they need this kind of assistance, here's an innovative idea: hire local DC adults. And pay them. Why on earth should there be "pages" in the year 2006? At best, it's just an excuse for cronyism and high-school resume-padding. At the worst, well, meet Mr. Foley.

The congress can hire people to do these jobs, if these jobs are even neccesary at all. Heck, who knows, maybe being around people that have to work for a living might even lead to some better policies coming out of the Congress.

Lefties are right to jump on Foley with both feet as has nearly everybody on the Right.

And Rep. Hastert would be completely moronic if he knew and did nothing until under 7 weeks until the election.

But as to winning the election: You're all so cute when you think you'll win an election. Make sure not to look in your mirror and say "Diebold" three times in a row. You won't like what happens.

If this goes all the way to Hastert, we'll learn a great deal about the House Repubs if he retains his position for any length of time.

This looks like one more reason for them lose control of the HoR.

Brian,

Remember, this is the same group of Republicans who ousted Sen. Lott.

It's unlikely the Republicans would allow Hastert to stay.

I have to say, this scandal is a real page-turner . .

Combine the incredible number of Republicans convicted of sex crimes with the number found guilty of ordinary crimes and you have a percentage so drastically higher than the normal population it's incredible even the mainstream media can ignore it.

You would think so, but let's wait and see. How many of the MSM will give it the ole "Yeah, but there problems on both sides" treatment regardless of the relative amounts and regardless of who is in power.

It's sad that one of the reasons the MSM may jump on it is that it's sex and it will sell.

This should be a huge issue due to the fact that our young people must be protected. I hope that's the way it plays out.

Any Republican who doesn't think this isn't going to outrage people is out of touch. Let's review the basic facts. Repulican leadership knew a Republican member of Congress was assking for pictures and other personal information from a minor and it didn't strike them as worthy of action? What grown man is interested in pictures of 16 year old boys and wants to know what they want for birthdays? I can't wait for Nancy Grace to sink her teeth into Foley, Hastert, et al.

Greedy Old Perverts

Grand Old Pagers

Who talked to the parents?

Seems to me that the only parents who send their kids to be pages to their representatives are those who are likely to be BIG contributors. It's a way for their kid to get a great resume entry and will pave the way for their ivy league college entrance application.

That said, when this news was broken to them, what do you want to bet that it was couched this way:

"Let's please, for the good of the party, keep this quiet. The Representative will resign *after* the election, but if we break this in the news media, it will harm the Republican party, which we know you care deeply about."

In short, I will bet that there was plenty of this sort of "let's keep this quiet" patter from the GOP operatives who were sent to talk to the parents.

This is the exact same line that the Catholic church used with the pedophile cases. The parents were told it was an isolated incident, blah blah blah. Of course they believed it; these were priests telling them.

In this case, they weren't priests, but rather political operatives with cynical "let's hold onto power no matter what" agenda. That the parents agreed is understandable, but it is still smarmy.

If someone did that to my kid, I would work to bring them down NO MATTER WHAT damage it did to the Party. There's no shame in being the victim of a predator. Much more shame in trying to cover it up, IMO.

I wonder if they regret their decision to stay quiet? I'll bet they do.

I.M.,

I hope you are correct.

Remember Hastert's outraged defense of the sanctity pf William efferson's office? Maybe we are finding out more about his motives for that.

by playing the security card for the last 5 years, the gop has benefitted from the family vote--people whose allegiances don't necessarily reside with a political party but more within notions driven by fear for their children's well being.

i'd say those people are going to be turned off by this scandal and coverup big time. take away those votes and there could be a gop blood bath come november...

We finally found something the Republicans care about. Not graft, not the war in Iraq, not civil liberties, not fiscal responsibility. They care about young boys' butts.

I think that a lot of rats are leaving the sinking ship. Two years ago, ceteris paribus, none of them would have gotten excited about this stuff, except of course Foley. But this way they can ditch their leadership without seeming like Democrats, and without thinking about what they've done to the country.

The best thing about the scandal (from the Democratic Party POV) is that it's so easy! Instead of actually listening to the vast majority of voters, trying to decide what's in America's best interests, and concentrating on vital issues and articulating their pro-American positions on those issues, all they have to do is shovel the sleaze. Since this whole governing thing isn't working out for them, perhaps the Dems should just completely switch into full People Magazine/National Inquirer mode.

Feel free to use this new slogan I thought up for you: "The Democratic Party: for voters with Inquiring minds".

I think Dems should put all Repub candidates for Congress on the defensive by insisting that they make public pledges that if they are elected that they will demand an independent investigation of the scandal and oppose for leadership positions any current members who allowed this to fester for so long. LTE's, questions at candidate meetings, flyers, etc can all be used to force them to respond and put them on the spot.

That's Enquirer. Shame on you, Kevin.

"Fleecing Indians and Polynesians = Boring"?

OK. Important data point. Thanks for the bearings.

'It may finally be the GOP's Waterloo.'
--Kevin Drum

Not a chance. The Dems will roll over like a refugee boat and let the whole thing blow over. They don't have the gumption or the killer instinct to deliver the death blow to the Republican Party. Aiding and abetting a pedophile should be the end of fat boy Hastert and Boner from Ohio, but they will come out unscathed. Sad, but true.

Waterloo? Please, Bush owns the executive, the legislature and the courts. SCOTUS can take a hike. Diebold is commmitted to perpetuating a Republican majority. If you get too out of line there'll soon be laws on the books allowing you to be disappeared. My God, these people can lay waste to entire nations as they damn well please. You think a little sex scandal is going to detour them?

If my memory serves me correctly, there was this small investigation going on last year in November with a certain special prosecutor, and a party ravaged by charges of incompetence, and ongoing investigations into corruption, and a majority leader under indictment...

And one wonders why the House Leadership would try to keep this under wraps???

Just goes to show you that honesty is the best policy...if they would have done the right thing and taken the required steps...they would have at least kept the Congressional seat...

everything the Republican party gets out of this scandal will be well deserved...

I'm not usually one to put up a thread-hog of a long post, but this is on topic and it's just so handy to have the whole thing there in one spot. Your Family Va-yuze party at work. List and links to sources at armchairsubversive:

Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after "sexually explicit" emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.

Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper was arrested for soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.

Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.

Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with an 8-year old girl. Floyd has repeatedly won elections for Denton County, Texas, constable.

Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.

Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.

Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano was arrested for sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.

Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.

Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.

Republican Mayor Tom Adams was arrested for distributing child pornography over the internet.

Republican Mayor John Gosek was arrested on charges of soliciting sex from two 15-year old girls.

Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.

Republican Committeeman John R. Curtain was charged with molesting a teenage boy and unlawful sexual contact with a minor.

Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.

Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.

Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.

Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.

Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.

Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.

Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.

Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.

Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.

Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.

Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.

Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.

Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.

Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline was placed under house arrest for child molestation and possession of child pornography.

Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.

Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.

Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.

Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.

Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.

Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.

Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was found guilty of molesting a 15-year old girl.

Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.

Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.

Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.

Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.

Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.

Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.

Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.

Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.

Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.

Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to
12 years in prison.

Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.

Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.

Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer.

Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.

Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate their parents into providing information about the anti-American insurgency.

"it involves lots of documentary evidence"

I'd like to point out, again, that the penchant of modern lawyers, police, and judges to depend on 'documentary evidence' of child explotation is ludicrious and an excuse. It is an excuse for not doing due diligence...like the excuses we are hearing right now from the Bushites in the Congressional Dundership.

The real issue is that our society, for some reason, does not take the honest word of two honest witnesses as evidence and now requires that there be 'documentary evidence' for any and all crimes committed by the parties being had in power. That is really the problem with our society, an avoidence of responsibility in cases like the Foley Imbroglio.

But don't miss the point. The point is that when a crime has 'documentary evidence' it should really make the truly alert, truly diligent mind wonder what crime(s) have been committed that are not easily trailed by 'documentary evidence'.

Of course, in this case (and no doubt many others) there is 'documentary evidence'...but where is Justice and where is Leadership?

Let's be very careful about out triumphant chortling. This may be a good thing for the upcoming election, but is it really in our long term interest? I guarantee you that the war on gay rights will now be waged in terms of protecting children, and this will be Exhibit A. Homosexuality, pedophilia, same difference.

Unlike the Abramoff scandal, this one is going to get covered in People magazine and the National Inquirer. It may finally be the GOP's Waterloo.

Whatever it takes.

A good politician takes the hand dealt him and figures out how to win.

This is a gimmee. Try as they might, I don't think the Democrats can manage to grab defeat from the jaws of victory here.

Dan S,

As long as we're not on the same page...

I am reminded of the "House Banking Scandal" which involved no criminal activity and no waste of taxpayer dollars but which the GOP was able to use to help fuel the 94 Congressional takeover. I am also reminded of Newt Gringich commenting that Susan Smith's murder of her two young son's was an illustration of why people should vote republican in 94 (Smith was the stepdaughter of a prominent GOP and Christian Coalition leader who sexually molested her). Today I see that the GOP House Leadership has established a hotline where pages can report inappropriate behavior by GOP congressmen to the GOP leadership. I think that we need a new definition of chutzpah. The traditional one seems so quaint given the modern Republican Party.

Ruh Roh Raggy...

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

During the same period Rep. Tom Reynolds was keeping Mark Foley's inappropriate emails with minors secret, his campaign committee coffers received a $100,000 donation from Foley, it was revealed today. Reynolds has come under fire for knowing about the inappropriate emails for many months and covering it up to protect his colleague who has since been forced to resign.

Banner seen on Fox news Sunday AM:

"How will voters react if Democrats pounce on Foley scandal?"

Hmmm....I knew the Foley scandal was going to cause problems for the Democrats.

And-my two cents on the Page program - get rid of it. I see no constructive reason to keep it. It puts too many kids at risk in too many ways. It is pretty clear that the oversight of this program has completely failed. The kids would be better served by working on community projects instead of in the halls of power anyway.

How will voters react if Democrats pounce on Foley scandal?

Gee, I don't know, but let's see, shall we?

I see our favorite wacko is pretending that the decade long (and still going) history of the Republican Party's investigation into Clinton's sex life never happened. Your slogan is just a recycled one from the Clinton Presidency. The difference being that it was true about the Republicans.

The only downside to the Foley scandal is that it significantly raises the probability that we will bomb Iran before election day.

It looks like Hastert was lying when he said he had no knowledge of Foley's page pantsing. How can he survive the week with his position intact? Time to retire or at least head to the back benches.

The best thing about the scandal (from the Democratic Party POV) is that it's so easy! Instead of actually listening to the vast majority of voters, trying to decide what's in America's best interests, and concentrating on vital issues and articulating their pro-American positions on those issues, all they have to do is shovel the sleaze. Since this whole governing thing isn't working out for them, perhaps the Dems should just completely switch into full People Magazine/National Inquirer mode.

Oh boo hoo hoo. Two words: Monica Lewinsky. The GOP decided that listening to the vast majority of voters, trying to decide what's in America's best interests, and concentrating on vital issues and articulating their pro-American positions on those issues required, nay, demanded! a years long investigation of a blowjob.

And complaints about "shovelling the sleaze" from the party of Newt Gingrich, Ken Starr, Tom DeLay, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Denny Hastert, and Foley -- that's a bit rich, isn't it?

Foley was a bad boy, and my brother Jeb will prosecute him. Now lets drop the Foley issue -- because, as Congressman Hoekstra said today,

"The problem has been dealt with."

It's time to move on, and to address the critical issues that face our nation. Gas prices are coming down (not that we Republicans made them go up, we only control the downshift), and the stock market is almost back up to where it was under Clinton (not that we Republicans made it go down, we only control the upshift) and the Democrats are gay, er, um, ah, that is to say, ah, hmm, the way I see it, now look, see here, the Democrats are sadly lacking in the strength and the will to fight terrorism. Thank you for your support, and God Bless America. p.s. The FBI will unseal some anti-terrorism indictments next week. Those Arabs who run your local grungy convenience store are actually selling bongs and fake perfume to finance Islamofascism.

Hell, if the Republicans had been as concerned with Osama bin Laden as they were with Bill Clinton we might not have had a 9/11. But then we all know the Republicans only care about national security as an election issue. Letting 3000 people die was a small price to win the elections.

The media will let the GOP walk. We are now in day 2 of this--I'll see you and blog back in on status in 5 days, Kevin.

The story will die, especially in an election year.

Sure, legs. But remember: Republican voters will continue to vote for corruption, incompetence, and sleaze because they view Democrats (to the left of Zell Miller) as godless and treasonous, and in their eyes that is worse. It could come out that George W Bush has been keeping fifteen year old Thai girls as sex slaves in the basement of the White House and 22% of the American people would still say he was doing a good job.

The Democrats still have failed to convey a national message on national security (or frankly even Iraq), and few (with the exception of most notably Hillary Clinton) have struck the right balance between supporting political and economic reform in the Arab-Muslim world as the long-term solution to the threat of radical Islamist terrorism, and criticizing this administration for its prosecution of the Iraq War as well as not doing enough to realize that long-term solution.

Democrats are also troubled by poor candidates (in the charismatic and financial sense), gerrymandering, tone deafness in certain places (especially on illegal immigration; Democrats don't need to listen to Mickey Kaus nationally, but some in red and swing districts do), spinlessness in other races (there are districts and even states [Ohio] where a dose of economic populism would go a long way [I've been saying for months that the rural areas would be up for grabs in coming years because of bad economic conditions, and that is starting to happen]), and turnout (which favors Republicans right now in midterms; those white collar Independents who are trending Democratic just don't come out in large numbers for off-year elections).

But presidential candidates determine a party's platform and image, and the Democrats will get a boost from having our national centrist bellweather Mrs. Clinton at the head of their ticket. I wouldn't expect much help (more than the symbolic variety) down the ballot though. Like her husband she just doesn't care very much who controls Congress. It will be up to Democrats running for House and Senate seats to win their own races in 2008. We may not see a Democratic House or Senate until 2010 or later. Too many of them just don't get it yet.

Stefan, you said "Two words: Monica Lewinsky."

Damn straight. Let's just pretend that the shoe was on the other foot for a sec, and that the rep in question was a democrat.

I'm so sure the GOP would take the high road...choke.

No, if it had been reversed you bet your ass the crawling banners on Fox News would be: democrats, are they all gropers?

there is nothing complicated about the Abramoff and Cunningham scandals: they're about conventional corruption, power politics, and ripping off the public blind - pretty standard fare. The fact that it covers virtually the entire republican Washington establishment and has nothing on democrats is what makes it so difficult for the corporate media to publish to stay on.

Sex scandal, now that's something even the bought and paid-for corporate media can't even help out the republicans - its too juicey for them to ignore. The best they'll be able to do to deflect outrage at the republicans is to retread Clinton - Lewinsky stories. Queue republican slime sycophant brit hume.

Latest spin, as seen on Fox News Channel:

It's all ABC's fault (and maybe the fault of some of those other liberal news media organizations, too) for not informing Hastert sooner. If only Hastert had been able to see the problem sooner, he would have forced Foley to resign sooner. Speaker Hastert is safeguarding the USA's young people, now, and couldn't have done anything sooner about the emails, because, according to [disgraced] former Speaker Newt Gingrich, the liberal media would have accused Hastert of "gay-bashing."

In other words, we'd better hold our noses and shut our eyes and stand by Hastert, because the alternative is worse than Hastert. If Pelosi becomes speaker, she'll let slip the gay dogs! She will unloose them and they will wrap you round!

The folks over at freerepublic are frothing at the media for even covering the story after Foley's resignation. He's gone! End of story! (They wish. Foley will be prosecuted under the statute he sponsored.)

Hastert will continue making excuses right till after election day, when he will no longer be speaker.

I ageee that the rightwing media will engage in Stalinist reality inversions in order to spin the story. It doesn't matter if Democrats are weak and afraid. Everyone knows the story and it's a to-high-heaven stinker. For Republicans, this one is Code Red because we just went through John Mark Karr. Moreover, the Michael Jackson grotesquerie is a permanent feature of our popular culture. Now we have Republican leaders covering up for a pedophile. Democrats don't need to pounce. Just keep feeding the Enquirer, and the story will race faster than a Kenyan to the reptilian cortices of American parents.

Colbert interviewed some congressional challenger several weeks ago. Colbert offered to smear the incumbent republican (Saxton?) as a pedophile; the challenger declined to back the accusation. Turns out that Colbert was close to being right. Who knew.

"How will voters react if Democrats pounce on Foley scandal?"

Hmmm....I knew the Foley scandal was going to cause problems for the Democrats. --Karin

Feed it into the MSM news processor and out pops "Bad news for Dems!" But then it's a very simple circuit in there. Everything that goes in, comes out "Bad news for Dems!"

Can we say "concern troll?" I knew we could.

Violence? Nah, almost never a scandal. Like the unnecessary violent act committed against a sovereign state in violation of our laws as well as international laws. Scandal? No.

But a politician even *looking* for some nookie (or in this case, some corn-holy - LOL), now THAT'S enough to bring down the entire government, Democrat or Republican. You gotta wonder sometimes.

Meanwhile, the porn industry in America reaps record profits. 'Cause we're all so righteous, you see.

The Foley story may well be a political hit by CREW. The e-mails seen by Hastert had no sexual content. The stuff put out by Brian Ross and ABC were IM messages. How do you get copies of those except from the recipient ? The kid was apparently 16 and there may be no crime. Foley is a pervert but this smells of a hit job just before the election. Why didn't the ABC people send these to Hastert before leaking them ? Nice hit job but I think it will be exposed as such by the election. They should have waited until the end of October for the surprise so there would be no time to find Soros fingerprints on it.

This scandal may not expose systemic corruption the way the Abramoff scandal did, but it has plenty of legs. It involves sex, it involves coverups, it involves powerful players turning on each other to protect their own skins, and it involves lots of documentary evidence.

And 51 comments later, nobody has noticed that this list leaves off the word "gay"? As a feminist friend of mine pointed out, any previous abuse of girls by priests was never a huge scandal, but men with boys can bring down half the Church. Anyway, talk about Republicans hoist by their own petard.

The GOP and is starting to resemble the Catholic Church more and more with every passing day...

Arrest Foley (R-Child Predator) NOW and waterboard him till he confesses the truth.

Or is there something wrong with that?

This scandal will probably mean an extra seat in the HoR for the dems. The right-wing base believes in the Greedy Old Perverts until their own children are drafted and sent to fight over there so we can molest boys over here. And then only some of the wingnuts may reconsider the road they are being lead down.

What did you guys expect?

If a Democratic President gets away with criminal sexual activity in the White House, congressmen were bound to follow suit.

Just goes to show the extent of moral and cultural debasement wrought on our nation by eight years of Democratic rule. It will take much more than six or eight years of rule by morally upright ethnically pure people like George W. Bush to undo the damage done by the anything goes philosophy of the Democratic hippies.

Jay fails to define the "criminal sexual activity in the White House." No surprise I guess, since none happened.

In case you missed it, "jay"

STOP REPUBLICAN PEDOPHILIA

Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after "sexually explicit" emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.

Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper was arrested for soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.

Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.

Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with an 8-year old girl. Floyd has repeatedly won elections for Denton County, Texas, constable.

Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.

Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.

Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano was arrested for sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.

Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.

Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.

Republican Mayor Tom Adams was arrested for distributing child pornography over the internet.

Republican Mayor John Gosek was arrested on charges of soliciting sex from two 15-year old girls.

Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.

Republican Committeeman John R. Curtain was charged with molesting a teenage boy and unlawful sexual contact with a minor.

Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.

Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.

Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.

Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.

Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.

Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.

Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.

Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.

Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.

Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.

Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.

Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.

Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.

Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline was placed under house arrest for child molestation and possession of child pornography.

Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.

Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.

Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.

Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.

Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.

Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.

Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was found guilty of molesting a 15-year old girl.

Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.

Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.

Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.

Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.

Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.

Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.

Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.

Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.

Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.

Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to
12 years in prison.

Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.

Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.

Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer.

Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.

Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate their parents into providing information about the anti-American insurgency.

http://www.armchairsubversive.com/

Brings to mind the old saw about an invulnerable politician unless found in bed with a dead girl or live boy.

The live boy part is going to push a lot of fundamentalist buttons.

WTF was Hastert thinking? He could have easily leaned on Foley to resign for some cooked up reason, and got Jeb to appoint damned near any rethug to the job. Not only that, they let him run again?

There isn't any part of being a Republican that isn't a medical problem or a criminal problem.

Demand that Republican candidates swear an oath not to rape our children. One way or another that would eliminate the entire Republican agenda.

Found at tpm,

"It's vile. It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."
--Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), commenting on President Clinton, following release of the Starr Report, September 12, 1998.

DrBB -
Good post. I'd really like to see documentation backing all that up. Or rather, I'd really like to show that to my "moral values" Republican buddy.

Anyway - no, I don't give a fuck about the 16 year old page boys.

I want my $300 Billion back, I want my Habeus Corpus back.

(Frankly - Democrats; instead of attacking Republicans for the Foley debacle, should purge their party of the assholes who broke ranks on Clinton. The last 6 years are THEIR fault).

Clinton got a blow-job from a willing 21 year-old? Shit, thats makes me so horny, I feel like slipping the shorts off a sixteen year-old boy as soon as I finish working on legislstion to protect minors from sexual predators.

Hey Jay - this is Schadenfreude at its best.

Deal with it.

Why do Democrats hate gays?

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Funny thing is this is the same Republicans who spent 140 hours investigating Bill Clinton's Christmas card list. I'm not kidding. They even started an investigation into his cat. If you put it in a movie, no one would believe it.

Not one investigation into what's gone wrong with the war in Iraq, the $9 billion dollars missing in Iraq, why a CIA agent's name was leaked, why Osama bin Laden hasn't been caught or any of the corruption scandals. But they spent 140 hours on the Clinton Christmas list (it turns out they were just Christmas cards, in case you were wondering). They're not even trying to appear fair. They think there's nothing you won't let them do. They're in charge and they can get away with anything.

This isn't even about a sex scandal, per se. This is about a Republican Party so corrupt there's nothing they wouldn't cover up to protect their own. If that means your money is misspent or stolen, fine. If that means some Congressmen commit illegal acts to get rich off your dime, fine. Apparently, it also means if your kids are exposed to a sexual predator while they are supposed to be learning about our government, even that's fine.

Ricky G-

Governors don't appoint replacements for resigned House members.

Foley seems to be something of a "made man" in this cabal; there are suggestions that he was too high up, knows too much (about the 2000 recount in which he was a central figure? about other gays in the GOP?) to be leaned on too heavily. Plus this gang thinks it is above outside review, that they answer only to themselves. Also, this came at a time with issues swirling around Delay and early stages of Cunningham and Ney - the decision was likely made that they didn't need another open scandal.

Jay - Dems are against adult predatory behavior against minors - whether they are female (where most of this occurs) or male. Actions between consenting adults of course are fine. That's an obvious point to anyone not totally into Bush worship.

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The reason this won't go away is that 2006 is a bunch of local elections. Even if the MSM try to bury it, do you think there's a single Dem Congressional challenger who's not going to hammer their opponent with it?
Not to mention this'll be all Leno and Letterman will be talking about through 2009.
Not only is this scandal perfectly placed for the election (far enough away to give it a chance to grow but not far enough away to be forgotten--even if we bomb Iran) but it's perfectly targeted (since Bush is not up for reelection but Congress is.)
Makes you wonder that they really shouldn't have pissed the CIA off, doesn't it?

If you guys want to fight on the issue of sexual escapades, bring it on. OK Thomas1, ex-dem, first of all, I don't consider propositioning of a 16 year-old boy a sexual escapade. I would consider it a crime. As an ex-republican, I thought you must know that!

This is story about the Christian righties and certainly it has made these groups look a lot less congenial, and it's all because of obvious gross hypocrisy.

I mean, what with all the cold indifference to thousand of dead Iraq civilians, outright lies and lets face it, the Bush administrations is wholly plagued by one act of corruption right after another, gross government spending and utter lack of sympathy for human rights.

It was totally okay for Foley to hit on a male intern but ONLY as long as it isn't public and because the religious right has no more solemnity
than the Catholic Church did, hiding its own chronicles of pedophile behavior.

"As an ex-Democrat I must advise you that it will be a grave mistake."

Oh, thank you for your CONCERN, troll. As an ex-Republican, I can tell you that the party of Lincoln should be renamed the National Sociopath Party.

How many more times are idiots going to reprint that stupid list? Take a list of all such people remotely involved in politics, strip off all the Democrats, and bingo! Anybody think they're fooling anyone?

"Republican County Constable?" Good grief.

At least you're saved from having to deal with the issues again.

Funny how the deluded repigs think that just saying good things makes you a good person.

There is a profound difference between concept and capacity. Or to put it biblically, "By their fruits you shall know them".

It bears repeating-the repug slogan for 06 "No childs behind left behind".

I'm with kokblok, 12:54.

Get rid of the whole congressional page program. Seriously, why do grown men need little kids around to get them their popcorn? If they need this kind of assistance, here's an innovative idea: hire local DC adults. And pay them. Why on earth should there be "pages" in the year 2006? At best, it's just an excuse for cronyism and high-school resume-padding. At the worst, well, meet Mr. Foley.

At the worst, well, meet Mr. Foley

It's not only sex that these poor kids are losing their innocence about. Just think how cynical they'll be about politics after spending 3 months in the GOP controlled house.

Hey Carlton, Was the all that talk about God and moral values for real or just a dream I had? The issues? You mean 911 and Iraq? You mean healthcare and pensions? Not only are you fucked on the issues, your claim to a moral higher ground is a joke. OK, i forgot I guess you are protecting unborn stem cells. Christ Allmighty!!!

The kid was apparently 16 and there may be no crime. Foley is a pervert but this smells of a hit job just before the election. Why didn't the ABC people send these to Hastert before leaking them ? Nice hit job but I think it will be exposed as such by the election. They should have waited until the end of October for the surprise so there would be no time to find Soros fingerprints on it.

I love the smell of GOP fear-sweat in the morning. Smells like... victory.

And to follow on from an earlier part of the discussion: GOP: Grotesque Oily Pederasts.

As with most Democratic attacks, they count on partial information and half truths carrying the day.

From: Speaker's Media Release
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 5:36 PM
Subject: INTERNAL REVIEW OF CONTACTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER REGARDING THE CONGRESSMAN MARK FOLEY MATTER

September 30, 2006 Ron Bonjean or Lisa C. Miller

On Friday, September 29, the Speaker directed his Chief of Staff and Outside Counsel to conduct an internal review to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding contact with the Office of the Speaker regarding the Congressman Mark Foley matter. The following is their preliminary report.

Email Exchange Between Congressman Foley and a Constituent of Congressman Alexander

In the fall of 2005 Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the Speaker’s Office, received a telephone call from Congressman Rodney Alexander’s Chief of Staff who indicated that he had an email exchange between Congressman Foley and a former House page. He did not reveal the specific text of the email but expressed that he and Congressman Alexander were concerned about it.

Tim Kennedy immediately discussed the matter with his supervisor, Mike Stokke, Speaker Hastert’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Stokke directed Kennedy to ask Ted Van Der Meid, the Speaker’s in house Counsel, who the proper person was for Congressman Alexander to report a problem related to a former page. Ted Van Der Meid told Kennedy it was the Clerk of the House who should be notified as the responsible House Officer for the page program. Later that day Stokke met with Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff. Once again the specific content of the email was not discussed. Stokke called the Clerk and asked him to come to the Speaker’s Office so that he could put him together with Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff. The Clerk and Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff then went to the Clerk’s Office to discuss the matter.

The Clerk asked to see the text of the email. Congressman Alexander’s office declined citing the fact that the family wished to maintain as much privacy as possible and simply wanted the contact to stop. The Clerk asked if the email exchange was of a sexual nature and was assured it was not. Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff characterized the email exchange as over-friendly.

The Clerk then contacted Congressman Shimkus, the Chairman of the Page Board to request an immediate meeting. It appears he also notified Van Der Meid that he had received the complaint and was taking action. This is entirely consistent with what he would normally expect to occur as he was the Speaker’s Office liaison with the Clerk’s Office.

The Clerk and Congressman Shimkus met and then immediately met with Foley to discuss the matter. They asked Foley about the email. Congressman Shimkus and the Clerk made it clear that to avoid even the appearance of impropriety and at the request of the parents, Congressman Foley was to immediately cease any communication with the young man.

The Clerk recalls that later that day he encountered Van Der Meid on the House floor and reported to him that he and Shimkus personally had spoken to Foley and had taken corrective action.

Mindful of the sensitivity to the parent’s wishes to protect their child’s privacy and believing that they had promptly reported what they knew to the proper authorities Kennedy, Van Der Meid and Stokke did not discuss the matter with others in the Speaker’s Office.

Congressman Tom Reynolds in a statement issued today indicates that many months later, in the spring of 2006, he was approached by Congressman Alexander who mentioned the Foley issue from the previous fall. During a meeting with the Speaker he says he noted the issue which had been raised by Alexander and told the Speaker that an investigation was conducted by the Clerk of the House and Shimkus. While the Speaker does not explicitly recall this conversation, he has no reason to dispute Congressman Reynold’s recollection that he reported to him on the problem and its resolution.

Sexually Explicit Instant Message Transcript

No one in the Speaker’s Office was made aware of the sexually explicit text messages which press reports suggest had been directed to another individual until they were revealed in the press and on the internet this week. In fact, no one was ever made aware of any sexually explicit email or text messages at any time.

This is not a defense of Foley, who's a perv, and good riddance. But the accusations made about the entire Republican leadership are without foundation. How many people are aware that nobody in the Republican party knew about the IM messages until last week, or that these messages were directed to a completely different person (still underage at 17) than the 16-year-old in the e-mails?

Hey, Carlton,

Find a comparable list of Democrats.

You let some slobering horn dog near my 16 year old and there'll be all kinds of crime.

But apparently you righties think even your children are disposable for the greater good of the party. What a group of nice Germans you are. Kind of like Magda Goebbels I'd say.

Found at Atrios,

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_atrios_archive.html#115972303770307560

From the New York State Democratic Committee:

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

During the same period Rep. Tom Reynolds was keeping Mark Foley's inappropriate emails with minors secret, his campaign committee coffers received a $100,000 donation from Foley, it was revealed today. Reynolds has come under fire for knowing about the inappropriate emails for many months and covering it up to protect his colleague who has since been forced to resign.

-Atrios 1:15 PM

All this talk about a pedophile congressman. Did it occur to nobody that the sex might have been consented-to?

Where are the mighty "gays are just fine" liberals when its not one of their own?

Oh, and didn't a recent Democrat president also molest a young person in his office?

That wasn't gay sex, so it was ok.

Lying hypocrite democrats.

Al, you schmuck. "Underage" has an exact definition.

Al--try to keep up, m'kay? "Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006."

It's also harassment,

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001648.php

It's amusing as hell that the only "defense" they have is to imagine the possibility that Dems may have done the same thing. Defending ugly facts with fantasy is entertaining to say the least.

Reynolds is toast because of that donation. That clearly looks like hush money.

The age of consent in DC is 16. But in a marvelous irony, as well as a great example of being hoist on one's own petard (since Foley helped write the bill) -

if he had consensual sex with a 16 or 17 year old in DC (of which there is no evidence, we're talking hypothetical here), it would not be a felony.

BUT if he solicited sex or otherwise engaged in predatory sexual behavior with a 16 or 17 yo over the internet, it is a crime.

This is apart from this being the same thing as a 52 year old teacher having similar contact with a student of 16.

AI is clearly heading into panic mode - isn't it sweet?

Oh yeah, Denny's press release answers it. Forgot the half dozen contradictions already out there in the hasty attempt to paper over this thing as fast as possible. Denny issued a press release. Well that takes care of that.

Do your brains really work this way? Amazing. But listen, it's one thing for you to be a cultist authoritarian who thinks the word of a corrupt old gasbag like Hastert ranks with that of the baby Jesus himself. Quite another to assume everyone else's synapses have been surrendered to the fuhrerprinzip.

elmendorf: Agreed that the document is not a defense of Foley, there is no defense. That document is a media release drafted by the speaker's lawyers and advisors. I think it is way to early to disregard attacks on certain repub leaders.

More details from this website.

This entire attack on the Republican leadership is dependent on the Democrats selling the lie that the IM messages and the e-mails are the same thing, that the explicit IMs to some unknown person were known about for many months, and on the public not paying close enough attention to the facts.

'If a Democratic President gets away with criminal sexual activity in the White House, congressmen were bound to follow suit.'
--jay

It must be depressing to be so wrong so often. Having consensual sexual activity, oral or otherwise, with a consenting female who is the age of majority is not illegal, jay.

Al's post (real or bogus) above at 4:32 p.m. is so retarded that it isn't really worth typing a response. Suffice it to say, conservatives apparently are unable to differentiate between sex between consenting adults and adults preying on children. Which is why voters should VOTE EVERY GODDAMN REPUBLICAN OUT OF OFFICE IN NOVEMBER - THE FUCKIN' PERVERTS!!!!

Relying "on the public not paying close enough attention to the facts"? Oh dear me. Oh my stars and garters, not that. Can you imagine any party so low and indelicate as to rely on the public not paying close attention to the facts? Mercy! I can't think of another instance of such a thing! Not a single one!

And worst of all, Foley was being blackmailed by the thuggish Repub