[SolidSupplySide]

If there was no evidence that a crime had been committed, and the page in question -- as well as his parents -- refused to pursue any legal action against Foley, then what would you expect the GOP leadership to do any differently?

Umm. Ask questions. Investigators do it all the time. A real investigation may have uncovered the IMs months ago. We'll never know because the Republican leadership bungled the matter when it did nothing.

[Alberta's Child]

What investigative capabilities does Dennis Hastert have, and why would he "investigate" a matter in which no crime had been committed, and no complaint of any crime had been brought forward?

The Speaker of the House is not an omnipotent, god-like figure. He has no authority to conduct personal investigations of other House members like that.

[kingu]

Umm. Ask questions. Investigators do it all the time. A real investigation may have uncovered the IMs months ago. We'll never know because the Republican leadership bungled the matter when it did nothing.

Ok, ok, let me see if I understand this correctly - the e-mails, turned over to the FBI for investigation which hit a wall when the parents refused to cooperate is not a real investigation, and that the speaker of the house is supposed to go grill every member about their inappropriate actions?

Does he get to do anything else in his job? Because just following Barney Frank around ought to keep him busy 24/7.

Been seeing this opinion floating around for the last twenty four hours - it's a joke. Hastert and the GOP didn't do their job because they're flippin' supermen who are supposed to do a better job than the FBI. Love it.

[3niner]

A real investigation may have uncovered the IMs months ago.

How? By breaking into the kid's home and searching his hard drive? These messages probably didn't exist anywhere else, unless the kid had already given them to Democrat operatives, by that time.