To me, the most important aspect of Foley's pedophilia is the coverup

[Poiuyt]

Why did Dennis Hastert and John Boehmer keep this under wraps? Why were they protecting a pedophile? Of course, the hypocrisy of a pedophile leading the crusade against pedophiles is incredible, but I am appalled that the House leaders just let this slide.

[tabasco]

1. Any normal, decent person would have reported it immediately.

But these are republicans we're talking about.

[babylonsister]

2. Because they didn't want to have to fight for the seat in FL.

And because they have no conscience and have tunnel vision. I so hope it bites all the enabling repugs in the ass.

[aquart]

5. They sacrificed our children for power.

Hey, at least they're consistent.

[OregonBlue]

10. Yes, that's the story. They knew and they were running him anyway

because they wanted to retain control. Sick, Sick, Sick!! Even Republicans must be shocked. They'd let this guy try to bugger our teemage boys just to stay in power. Here in the Northwest it's not a big deal that he was gay, only that he was going after teenage boys. In the south, they must be horrified.

[NNN0LHI]

11. That makes no sense

Why keep a lit firecracker laying around? They could have just told him to not run for reelection and replaced him very quietly. Wouldn't have even been a blip on the radar. There is more to this story.

Don

[babylonsister]

12. I agree, considering the seriousness of this, that they should

have told him to quietly go away. Perhaps they were so full of their own arrogance they never considered they'd get caught.

[Jacobin]

3. I agree. Its what got the catholic church in so much hot water

when the priest sex crime scandal broke.

Coverup.

Its not the crime, its the cover up

[treestar]

4. Remember how the right went on about how Clinton lying about

Monica was worse than his involvement with Monica? And his lying to the grand jury, UNDER OATH, to cover up an extramarital affair? Which was after all between consenting adults.

Here, the original act ITSELF is indeed heinous. Yet the Repukes will be fine with any lies told to cover it up, you just watch! It was necessary not to distract us in a time of war, terra, etc.!! Just watch. These hypocrites have no shame. They will start blaming whoever discovered it and reported it as helping the terrorists!

[Evergreen Emerald]

6. And they prohibited an investigation.

Boehner refused to allow Pelosi's quest for an investigation go to a vote, instead they sent it to the ethics committee. This is not good enough.

Boehner and Hastert have changed their stories on this...by Sunday talk-shows the spin will be well coordinated. But Boehner has some conflict of interest in prohibiting an investigation when he would be the target.

[Imagevision]

17. But Boehner and Hastert are complicit, they're involved in the cover-up!

Dems need to broaden the light on what is really going on and do some damn thing about it skipping trivial sound-bites

[msongs]

7. you could start by saying Foley is NOT a pedophile..... : - )

if you wish to engage in this sort of conversation, at least get your definitions correct.

Wikipedia has a similar definition to most dictionaries: Pedophilia is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent or peripubescent children. Persons with this attraction are called pedophiles.

now, carry on condemning the cover up AND lack of prevention regarding congressional pages.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[mzteris]

9. do you feel like people aren't listening?

:banghead:

[Junkdrawer]

13. What's the matter, the colloquial usage too politically damaging?

In contrast to the generally accepted medical definition, the term pedophile is also used colloquially to denote significantly older adults who are sexually attracted to adolescents below the local age of consent<1>, as well as those who have sexually abused a child.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia

[mcg]

14. Foley IS a pedophile

Wikipedia has had a history of pedophiles distorting entries related to pedophilia,
it has been called wikipedophilia.

The word pedophilia has more than one meaning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia

In contrast to the generally accepted medical definition, the term pedophile is also used colloquially to denote significantly older adults who are sexually attracted to adolescents below the local age of consent<1>, as well as those who have sexually abused a child.

(I'll add also, as mentioned in the talk page about pedophia at wikipedia, that
there is more than one medical definition.)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedophile

- an adult who is sexually attracted to young children.
- An adult who is sexually attracted to a child or children.
- one affected with pedophilia called also pedophiliac
- an adult who is sexually attracted to children

A 16-year-old male is a boy and is not considered an adult in our society.

The word child also has more than one meaning.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/child

- a person between birth and full growth; a boy or girl
- A person between birth and puberty.
- a person below an age specified by law: infant, minor
- a young person of either sex
and others

[Swede]

8. "What did you know,and when did you know it?"

a la the Watergate scandal.

[cleveramerican]

15. if the allegations are true...

that republican leadership conspired to keep this information from the lone Dem on the page oversight committee,while leaving Foley to chair his committee on exploited children.

This will get ugly fast. (as if it could get any uglier)

[gulliver]

16. I hope the GOP keeps trying to protect Hastert and Boehner ...

... right up to the election. We'll just talk about Iraq and how the GOP leadership covered up for Foley. As has been pointed out, they were going to let him win his election and go right on working children's issues in Congress.

[gmaki]

18. RIGHT! pound them with this.

Hastert and Boehner covered it up, yet still hold power and office as Republicans.

Anyone who calls themselves a Republican while these two (and anyone else involved) are still in office is a pedophile enabler.

Force Republicans to renounce their leadership and their party. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND.

Republicans took away the middle ground on issues like this, they can't have it back now.

[moc]

19. I want to know about the cover-up by law enforcement

Specifically the FBI and Justice departments.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2266327#2275174

It's debateable whether Republican house leaders are "mandated reporters" for cases of suspected child abuse, but there is no question that law enforcement personnel ARE mandated reporters.

[cleveramerican]

20. they hid it !

They kept it from the one Dem on the page oversight committee for a YEAR.
I'm not sure if they're compelled to report it to law enforcement, but to conspire to keep it from the one Dem on the PAGE OVERSIGHT committee sure seems to be dereliction of duty in the most basic way

They knew it was hugely damaging and they actively tried to hide it until at least after the election, probably hoping it would disappear forever.