NYT: Pressure Grows for G.O.P. Over Foley Scandal

[jefferson_dem]

Pressure Grows for G.O.P. Over Foley Scandal

By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY
Published: October 3, 2006

<SNIP>

In Indiana, Baron Hill, a Democratic candidate for a House seat, asked the incumbent, Representative Mike Sodrel, a first-term Republican, to reject any financial contributions from the national party. In North Carolina, where Representative Robin Hayes, a Republican, is engaged in a tough campaign fight, the state Democratic Party issued a statement asking, “Who does Robin Hayes stand up for — Mark Foley and the Republican House leadership or under-age children?”

As Congressional Republicans campaigned Monday in their districts, they responded to the Democratic criticism and distanced themselves from Mr. Foley’s behavior.

“We need to admit that this was done on our watch,” Mr. LaHood said. He added that when he arrived home after Congress adjourned early Saturday, the page program was what constituents asked about.

“The first three questions I was asked when I arrived in Peoria,” he said, “were not about immigration, the war or taxes. It was, ‘What are you going to do about the page program?’ ”

The Foley matter was also drawing criticism from some conservative groups. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a legal advocacy group, said any member of Congress who knew of Mr. Foley’s communications with pages and did not take meaningful action should resign. “And let’s be clear,” Mr. Fitton said, “the overly friendly communications that the House leadership has admitted to knowing about are not innocent and should not be downplayed.”

<SNIP>

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/us/03foley.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5094&en=e7617045b3e5a934&hp&ex=1159848000&partner=homepage

[C_U_L8R]

Like a big zit

it's inevitable.

[grytpype]

3. See if you can guess what I am now.

[GiveUsHope]

1. But not over them killing habeus corpus

What has this country come to?

[last1standing]

2. A friend of mine gave me this little bit of wisdom.

He used to say "If a gold brick falls out of the sky and hits you on the head, what do you do"? The answer of course is "Pick it up".

This hasn't taken habeus corpus off the front page because it wasn't there before the foley scandal. Let's take this gold brick, pick it up, and use it to get in some Dems who might actually overturn that disgusting law.

[Ignacio Upton]

4. Exactly!

While we may destest the MSM's obsession with sex scandals, we should look at this in a Machiavellian way and use it to get rid of the right-wingers. If Abramoff and MZM won't get the MSM's attention, then Foley will.

[last1standing]

5. Its not Machiavellian as we're doing nothing unethical.

Machiavelli was a proponent of winning power at all costs. That's exactly what the repubs have done with great success. We are not using unethical means to recapture the congress, we are taking advantage of their lack of ethics to change the balance of power. There's a great difference. But yeah, this really was the only thing that the M$M as going to run with. Very sad.

[PATRICK]

8. Hmm, a little more innocent reasoning

is simply that people don't know their rights from the Latin but that sexual morality is easy to get especially when the Line has been crossed. Bush is responsible for the deaths of many many thousands of Americans at the very least through incompetence and apathetic disinterest. We even have his meeting concerning Katrina on video and its shows what his typical response is to every situation. But what would finish him off is some sexual Line crossing.

Now Clinton came very close, but adultery and consenting heterosexual affairs are widely accepted and ignored throughout a great span of history. But the Line would have been his finish simply if the sex was less acceptable.

So are we pandering? Not so much as using the only road into the thick skulls that might get them to wake up to everything. There was nothing to wake up to Bill Clinton, just his previously touted womanizing. The RW wanted this standard so maybe we can communicate finally in a mutual language they can understand.

Anything real- and this is more than real or an exaggeration and is probably only the barest surface of the scandal- that can breakthrough the warp in Bush core thinking would be doing them a favor. Just don't do it so jeeringly as to get that auto hypocrite response which again avoids the true horror of the GOP leadership scandals. I would save my satisfaction for getting them to leave that corrupted party and vote in real public servants.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Perhaps it was BECAUSE of Habeus Corpus That This Was Leaked Now

[tblue37]

12. I have been thinking along these lines.

This and the fact that Woodward, the court stenographer, has been sicced on BushCo suggest that the real powers that be want the Cheney administration to come to an end.

[Oak2004]

9. A majority *are* concered about torture, habeus corpus, aggressive war,

widespread corruption, etc: that's why Bush's job rating is in the basement.

But this latest scandal cuts into their base ;)

I am sad for the pages and their families, and gleeful that their base is getting this wakeup call.

[glitch]

10. That's it, very succinct, very nice. nt

[barb162]

7. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh

[Recursion]

11. Why do I keep agreeing with judicial watch? That's messed up.

I hate those guys. Why are they saying things I agree with? Maybe principled evil is better than unprincipled evil.