Guys the issue is not the Pedophilia attempts....Its the cover-up stupid

[Perky]

They failed to initiate any investigation at all. Leadership has known about this ticking time bomb for months.

This is as ugly as it can get for the Repukes.It is conspiracy at its worst.

DC/Capitol politics should be investigating this on conspiracy grounds.

It is the culture of corruption and permissiveness. These guys do not deserve to be leading the country.

If the Bishops do not get away with it... why should Congressional leadership get a pass?

[rzemanfl]

1. And the hypocrisy of him sponsoring all the sex legislation while

pounding his pud under the desk and chatting with young boys on the Net about his member.

[marmar]

2. For me, it's both....

It's the cover-up and the Mafia-like corrupt culture for sure, but it's also the hyprocrisy of the "moral values" party, whose members can't seem to stop talking dirty to minors.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Absolutely it is both -- they are inseparable.

This wasn't a little moral straying and a massive cover-up -- this was a nasty sexual recruiting job of a minor followed by a cover-up.

Are we surprised by any of it? Why would we expect a Congress that just passed a torture bill and suspended habeas corpus to worry about policing their own sexual predators?

[ellacott]

3. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

This is what I've been trying to say. This goes to the core of this party's nature. The coverup is always worse. They haven't learned from Watergate, and Scooter Libby. It's the arrogance of power that makes them think they are not accountable.

If they would have demanded his resignation immediately they would have been able to save face.

[cboy4]

5. I think they're both equally disgusting issues. However, I agree we should

really nail them on the cover-up aspect.

[nuxvomica]

6. Curiously this came out shortly after the torture vote

Establishing a definite pattern of sociopathy. I can't imagine any other explanation for Foley's colleagues knowing about this and doing nothing to stop him. This is the party that is going to keep us safe? They can't even keep their own pages safe from the attentions of a predator. If they will drop protection of minors under their immediate charge for political expediancy, how can we ever expect them to protect us from distant, less palpable threats when their financial or political interests are at stake?

[Tin Man]

9. You're right - it's all about political expediency for Repubs

...their actions have less about protecting their constituents, and more about protecting themselves. If you ask me, the Foley coverup is just another reason for me to vote the straight Dem ticket this Nov.

[Tin Man]

7. K&R

Yup.

[Botany]

8. REPUGS in full damage control!

<Just as Shimkus' explanation was released, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of
California proposed to the House that its ethics committee investigate and make a
preliminary report in 10 days. She demanded to know who knew of the messages,
whether Foley had other contacts with pages and when the Republican leadership was
notified of Foley's conduct.

Instead, majority Republicans engineered a vote to allow the ethics panel to decide
whether there should even be an investigation.>

***************************************

Now Denny Hastert knew and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La knew so it
seems to me that "the family values" and anti gay crowd are now working
on damage control and keeping the party safe

[KharmaTrain]

10. Nothing Worse Than A Politican Caught In Bed With A Dead Girl Or Young Boy

The other saying apt here...and one that plays out over and over with this regime and the Repunicans these days is "the cover-up is always worse than the crime".

This can be a story that takes its own life for the better part of a week or longer. There's several aspects here that will unfold by the reluctant participants and we'll learn a lot about Mr. Foley, his past life and those who attempted to cover it up.

Already there's major CYA going on in GOOPerville. Boehner trieds to pass the buck onto Hastert and then backtracks. The Democrats on related committees were never informed of the problem or any investigations. The FBI looked into charges and were told to back off.

When Hastert came to the rush to defend William Jefferson after the raid on his office, I suspected Gym Teach Denny was doing it cause he knew there were a lot of skeletons in his own party's (and his own personal) closet and he had to hold off any real investigations past the elections. He failed.

Let the unraveling begin.

:popcorn:

[Schema Thing]

19. I think you just described a KharmaTrain :D

[pdxmom]

11. I think it's about both. They next time the Repukes say "What about

the children?", we need to remind them how their coverup and putting politics before everything else put those children they pretend to be so concerned about at risk.

I have only just started reading about this today, but what I've read so far makes me absolutely sick! Not just Foley, but the entire freakin' bunch of them that covered for him and today are still lying and running for cover.

[Imagevision]

12. EXACTLY! what did Denny Haestert and others already know?!!

GOP: "we're not even sure if an investigation is necessary!?? WTF!!

[cmkramer]

13. What are you talking about?

The kid involved was 16 years old. Definitely under age which makes it against the law had anything actually occurred of a physical nature. But pedophilia involves prepubescent children.

Foley's a jerk, stupid to the max and good riddance. But until and unless there is evidence that he has propositioned or had sex with pre-teens, he's not a pedophile.

There is a term for people who are sexually attracted to young adolescents which is what I suspect Foley is.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. "definitely" under age?

I've seen that said several times on DU, but with no reference. On the other hand, every site I've found so far says that the age of consent in every possible jurisdiction involved here is 16. How are you so definite about this?

[Schema Thing]

18. It's certainly NOT pedophilia.

however, the age in Florida is 18/16. which I believe means 18 = any age partner legal / 16 partners between 24 and 16 legal.

Oddly arbitrary, to me, but it would make this illegal (so long as the *cybering/talking about sex* part is in the law?)

[Imagevision]

20. NOT pedophilia? -- correct, "it" is the case of a sexual predator!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Thank you. That gave me a definite thing to look for

A person 24 years of age or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years of age commits a felony of the second degree

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/FloridaLaws.htm#794.05

Though there's an exception for anyone who is married at age 16 or 17. Interesting that making a relationship 'official' (not necessarily with the older person concerned), which would require parental consent, would allow sex; effectively it says a parent can decide if their child can have sex with an older person. As you say, arbitrary.

Whether talking about sex on the internet is also illegal with someone of the same age, I don't know - it's quite possible that when the youth is under age for actual acts, it would count as 'grooming'.

[lonestarnot]

14. Both dee dee dee, both!

[wtmusic]

15. This issue is going nowhere.

It will be on the front page for two weeks, then gone.

This does not indict the Republican Party, just one miserable member. Trying to turn this into a partisan Watergate-style conspiracy is a loser.

Time to move on.

[Schema Thing]

17. I disagree. It will really wound the GOP, imo

I hope my opinion is correct :)

[wtmusic]

23. I hope so too

nonetheless, there is something about Democrats gleefully pouncing on the personal failings of a Republican which is uncomfortably reminiscent of the Repub response to Clinton/Lewinsky.

[Schema Thing]

26. yep, and the "balance of sexual power" issue is there as well

[Imagevision]

24. This issue is going nowhere? - its only been 24 hours, relax...

The msm has been on fire with Folie coverage, allow meet The Press - Face the nation to cover it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. It's about whatever people want it to be about.

Whatever makes republicans look shittiest, is fine with me.

[OregonBlue]

25. It's about them knowing he was a pedophile and continueing to

support him and try to get him re-elected. That is the story. They don't give a damn about children, they care about staying in power.