Ok, so the score thus far (if I am getting it right....)

[pepperbear]

6-1:

The Foley situation has been blamed on:

1. alcholism

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2007056,00.html

2. The Democrats

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7BBC55C7A7-13CF-42E4-92BC-A5CEA78CEC18%7D

3. the pages themselves

http://web.morons.org/article.jsp?sectionid=2&id=7219

4. gays in general (just 'cause)

http://www.forward.com/blogs/campaign-confidential/christian-leaders-blame-foley-scandal-on-radical-g/

5. gerry studds

6. ....and a sense of humor

http://breakingnews.redstate.com/blogs/steven_foley/2006/oct/05/claim_filthy_foley_online_messages_were_page_prank_gone_awry

Did I miss one? Oh, Right! Well, uh..better late than never, right?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-05-hastert-foley_x.htm?csp=24

on edit: you're right, all....updated score
8-1:

7. The Clintons
8. Foley's own history of abuse

[Rex]

1. Yes that is the score so far - gerry studds? Missed that story.

This will be billed as a harmless 'frat prank', like waterboarding and the Bill of Rights. Yet, this really does look like the end of the Speaker of the House. Couldn't happen to a better asshole, IMO.

[pepperbear]

4. RE: Gerry studds: here's a link to queenfreep basically saying...

I know you are but what am I:

http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi

[progdonkey]

9. from the page scandal back in '83...

Studds was one of two congressmen (the other was a Repub) who was censured by the House for having sex with 17-year-old pages (Studds with another male; Crane with a girl).

The RW talking heads are using Studds as some sort of hypocrisy cudgel to beat Democrats with, except that the vote for censure for both was something like 430-3 (I'm guessing two of the three were Studds and Crane ;-) ).

The two biggest differences, though (disregarding both the whole cover-up issue, and the fact that Studds was censured along with a Republican, where the only difference was it was straight, not gay), are that the 17-year-old in Studds' case supported him in his assertion that it was consensual (they even both took part in a press conference after the censure hearing, basically saying, "What we do is none of anyone's business.") and Studds wasn't a predator like Foley, who seems to have made a pass at every male page he met. (Of course, despite it's being "consensual," it was certainly highly inappropriate, if not illegal--though I think 17 was and is still technically of age in DC; I mention it as a point only to differentiate it from Foley's case, where one of the many teens is on record as describing the advances as "sick" 13 times.)

Edit: I forgott hwo to spel "consensual."

[Rex]

12. Ah, I've been wondering who they were talking about.

So this is who Hannity keeps talking about. So if the DEMS do it, then the REPS should be able to get away with it too. What schoolyard mentality.

[progdonkey]

13. I just remembered something that's extremely important...

The sexual contact in Studds' case was in 1973, (Crane's in 1980) meaning that, when he was in the midst of the whole scandal in '83 and the page was saying it had been consensual, the page was a 27-year-old saying the sex when he was 17 was consensual. How many of the pages Foley's been chatting with will say in ten years, "Oh yeah, I was totally in to it"?

[uppityperson]

2. he was molested as an early teen? Is that there?

[rurallib]

3. I think Clintons should be in a category by themselves.

Only because they are usually blamed first.
Kind of surprised that Ahmendimejad has not been blamed as yet. Or Chavez. Coming soon I trust

[SoFlaJet]

10. Of COURSE it's Clinton's fault

if he hadn't gotten those blow jobs in the Oval Office and RUINED this country Foley would have NEVER thoughtt that he could get away with this...DUH..

[hvn_nbr_2]

5. Clinton. Gay priests. Evil bloggers. Teen pranksters. Don't forget Poland.

Everybody but the guy who did it and the ones who covered it up for him.

[Gabi Hayes]

6. two more

Dick Morris!!!!!

George Soros

[in_cog_ni_to]

7. George Soros...Hastert's big LIE. n/t

[tigereye]

8. yeah, Republican behavior is the Democrats' fault

sheesh

:eyes:

I hope there is a place for them in the hypocrite/hyperbole level of hell, should it exist.

[BuyingThyme]

11. No LIBERAL MEDIA yet?

[Parche]

14. blame

Hastert's Hemeroids..!!!!