Posted on 10/03/2006 4:09:22 AM PDT by Taggart_D
The facts of the disgrace of Mark Foley, who was a Republican member of the House from a Florida district until he resigned last week, constitute a disgrace for every Republican member of Congress. Red flags emerged in late 2005, perhaps even earlier, in suggestive and wholly inappropriate e-mail messages to underage congressional pages. His aberrant, predatory -- and possibly criminal -- behavior was an open secret among the pages who were his prey. The evidence was strong enough long enough ago that the speaker should have relieved Mr. Foley of his committee responsibilities contingent on a full investigation to learn what had taken place, whether any laws had been violated and what action, up to and including prosecution, were warranted by the facts. This never happened....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
According to Captain's Quarters and a couple of other blogs I've been trying to follow this on.
Now, it could very well be that his family didn't want the IMs shared with any of the leadership. But really, until they come out and say that, I'm not ready to believe any of the suits up on the hill.
Can someone clarify for me re: age of consent. I know its 16 in DC. But is that 16 only if both parties are under 18? Or does it matter that that one party is over 18 and the other is not?
I keep hearing this meme - what evidence, and which Democrats?
Bush is accused of lying to get us into a major war which gets our men and women killed...you don't call that a threat to their safety? The accusation against Pres. Bush is a much more serious accusation than what's being thrown at Hastert.
By your logic, Bush should step down until he is investigated thoroughly.
Don't just swallow everything you read.
Hastert did NOT change his story about seeing the emails. Neither his office nor he saw them.
If you have a link to where he changed his story, please provide it. Otherwise you should stop spreading what is not true.
This is a bait-and-switch.
"Did you see this email, Mr. Hastert?"
"No, I did not."
"How about this one?"
"I did see that one."
"A-ha! So you did see emails even though you denied seeing them!"
Sen Clinton: "Our agents, deeply planted throughout the FBI
eagerly provided us with complete files , I mean "badges of courage",
to help us stop the War on Terror and to take over the US government
- as we Democrats were born, and are entitled, to do."
[ ** - FBI Arab translators cheered Sept. 11 at FBI !!!!
FBI: Jews need not apply for Arabic linguist jobs - Thread 1
FBI: Jews need not apply for Arabic linguist jobs - Thread 2 ]
In the end it will all rest on whether or not all these subordinate bodies want heat in the winter, AC in the summer, and running water in the restrooms.
Very simply, the House of Representatives can make it pretty miserable for all these actors, and they should.
It is now crystal clear the democrats had this for three years.
The george soros funded C.R.E.W. was shifted over from targeting Delay after he resigned unexpectedly.
Three years of allowing boys to be targeted by a sex predator.
The Brits actually had to kill a king to convince the "executive branch" to stay out of Parliament.
It was a great victory for democracy and should not be so lightly tossed away.
Why is it all you Liberals get the idea that the Second Amendment ALWAYS MEANS guns?
That's the Korean ownership leaking through in that Washington Times editorial, and should be ignored. Just funny little foreign people venting gas through their mouths having misplaced their brains for the moment.
Someone should remind them that WE ARE NOT EUROPEANS!
I am convinced someone knew about the IMs and held that knowledge to create the October surprise but I am not convinced the leadership knew anything beyond the fact that the guy is weird.
Had Hastert demanded Foley resign without specific knowledge of the facts he would have been branded a homophobic.
If I'd been Speaker I'd have waterboarded all of them until they ratted out their bosses.
You know how they do.
Excellent post.
I can defend Hastert for not being personally responsible, but if you read the "non-offensive e-mails", and remember while you are reading them that Foley is gay, you WOULD call for an investigation.
They weren't overly sexual, but they weren't benign either, if you have the backstory. Hastert should have at least required the entire page board to be involved. Maybe he didn't want to embarass Foley, but that's no excuse. The board exists for a reason, and it shouldn't have been circumvented. He COULD have launched a small investigation, instead of just taking Foley's word for it.
Again, I can understand why he didn't, but sometimes being a leader means you recognise stuff that isn't so obvious, and Hastert failed.
Between that, the Jefferson stuff, and a few other things Hastert has said and done, I don't see the downside in him announcing he will live up to the 1995 pledge of term-limits for the speakership. Surely among the 230 other republicans, there is one man who is capable of running the house.
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