rep mark foley

For wanting to be leaders, these idiots sure do have short term memory loss:

The House Republican campaign chairman, at odds with Speaker Dennis Hastert over when Hastert learned about ex-Rep. Mark Foley's come-ons to teenage male pages, was questioned Tuesday by an ethics panel.

Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., would not comment afterward on his repeated public assertions that he warned Hastert about Foley last spring. Hastert, R-Ill., says he first learned about Foley less than a month ago.

Hastert, expected to testify this week, has said he doesn't recall the conversation.

After his closed-door testimony, Reynolds said, "I would only add a full and fair investigation of the facts is vital to ensuring the continued integrity of this institution, which is why I strongly encourage any of my colleagues who have information that may be of relevance to bring it to the committee's attention at once."

(emphasis mine)

So you are the leader of the House of Representatives. You are told that a member of the House is pursuing sexual relations with the very children the House you run is charged with keeping safe. To make matters even worse, that member if from your own party. To really add insult to injury, this is coming up with a mid-term election a year away - one that your very power is dependent upon. You don't remember hearing about that? Dennis Hastert is a fucking moron, idiot and child predator enabler. If this is the level of competence the GOP wants from their leaders then they all need their asses kicked this fall. They also all need to be charged with complicity in Mark Foley's games. Hell Hastert probably wishes he was in on the action with Foley.

And it is garbage:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Democratic sex scandals have been far worse than the suggestive Internet messages sent to teenage congressional pages by former Rep. Mark Foley.

Gingrich said Democrats have wanted to punish their offenders less than the GOP.

"What we don't have to do is allow our friends on the left to lecture us on morality," Gingrich said at a party fundraiser in Greenville. "There's a certain stench of hypocrisy."

Which scandals are far worse? Clinton? At least Monica was over 18 and willing. She wasn't going "sick sick sick sick" about it.

Gerry Studds? It is amazing how the Republicans keep bringing up Studds and somehow suffer from Dan Crane amnesia. Remember, Crane was the Republican who was also busted during the scandal. The difference is Crane resigned and Studds didn't. Also the voters decided to return Studds to office. Isn't that democracy? They let the voters decide and not the politician's. Notice how it is Republicans calling for Hastert to resign? Sounds like the Republicans still don't trust the voters more.

How about Barney Franks? Yeah - because gay male prostitutes are so bad. Just ask Jeff Gannon who had free roam of the Bush White House, or ask Bush 41 about the late night parties involving male prostitutes, that occurred in the White House under his watch.

There's your hypocrisy Newt, but if that isn't enough there is always this.

Think Progress is compiling a very nice timeline of the Foley incident. I want to bring to attention a certain date range so you can see if you notice what is missing:

2005 — Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) sends inappropriate emails to another former Congressional page. [CREW]

SEPTEMBER 2005 — Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), who sponsored the page, learns “of the e-mails from a reporter.” [AP, 9/29/06; CQ, 9/30/06]

FALL 2005 — “Tim Kennedy, a staff assistant in the [Speaker J. Denis Hastert’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…[Mike] Stokke [Deputy Chief of Staff for Speaker Hastert] 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.” [Hastert Statement, 9/30/06]

Notice anything missing there (hint - a big name)? This same big name has been missing from all the reports of Foley in the last couple days.

Give up?

A day after the scandal breaks of Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fl) sending questionable emails to a 16 year old boy, he turns in his resignation to Congress. This was considered a "safe seat" for the GOP this fall. Considering how quickly Foley resigned, there must be a lot more to this sick tale.

UPDATE:

Cnn just reported that sources have told them his decision was made because he feared more emails might surface. If there are other ones out there, they must be much worse than the ones already posted. Aravosis has a copy of all the emails.

UPDATE 2:

An interesting tidbit. In July of this year, it was Foley who introduced "sweeping" legislation against internet child pornogrpahy. This happens all to much. The people who appear to be trying and protect children, are in fact the ones who may be preying on them.

UPDATE 3:

Wow it does get worse. From ABC: