Karl Rove is now in charge of Foley damage control

[kurth]

GOP strategy: Back Hastert, seize agenda
By Mark Silva, Washington Bureau: Tribune staff reporter Susan Kuczka contributed from Northbrook, Ill., and correspondent Christi Parsons contributed from Washington

WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders, closing ranks around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, have settled on a strategy of trying to move quickly beyond the congressional page scandal and turn the political conversation to such issues as terrorism, tax cuts and a growing economy in the four weeks before Election Day. They face a tough challenge, as opinion polls indicate a growing number of Americans inclined to vote Democratic on Nov. 7 and most people surveyed this week suspecting a cover-up in the House's handling of the controversy involving lewd electronic messages sent by then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to underage pages.

But with an explosive story erupting a month before an election in which control of Congress is at stake, Republicans have few options. Party leaders have concluded that their best hope is to present a united front and change the subject rather than forcing out Hastert or other leaders. The strategy is not without risk, and it could be upended by any more damaging revelations... President Bush is planning to stand alongside Hastert, the Illinois Republican, in Chicago on Thursday at a fundraiser for the congressional campaigns of state Sen. Peter Roskam and David McSweeney...

After a week in which Republican Party leaders often seemed to be contradicting and accusing each other, the new strategy of unity was apparent everywhere Friday. Bush, who kept a certain distance from the House speaker in the first few days after reports of Foley's sexually explicit communications with a teenage male page, has reaffirmed his support for Hastert's continuing service while investigations are conducted. The White House and GOP leaders hope Hastert's acceptance of responsibility for the scandal Thursday, combined with the launch of several investigations likely to be concluded after Election Day, marks "a turning point" in what had become a perilous episode for the party.

Amid some calls for Hastert's resignation as speaker, Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, flatly predicted that Hastert still will be speaker on Election Day--and that his party will succeed, if narrowly, in stemming a Democratic bid for House control. "He has done what a leader should do to take responsibility," Mehlman said. "It is being investigated. Denny Hastert is a man of his word. The notion that Denny Hastert is going around covering things up, I don't think people will buy it."... "I predict in 10 days we'll be talking about something completely different," said Roskam, suggesting that the Foley matter is "perceived as an inside-the-Beltway scandal that is concerning but isn't driving the conversation. We're just running our race, talking about taxes, immigration, the things we want to be talking about." ...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0610070074oct07,1,4870312.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[kentuck]

1. However...

they have all gone home....scattered to the winds...and thinking of saving their own asses. They aren't thinking too much about saving Denny Hastert at this time.

[katinmn]

2. "I predict in 10 days we'll be talking about ..."

...something completely different," according to Repuke Roskam.

I don't doubt the Bush Cult will pull another big disaster in order to shift focus back to the #1 talking point of FEAR.

So we have 9 days before the next big disaster. Hold on to your hats, friends. October is going to be a scary ride.

[papau]

4. So it takes 10 days to get a terror incident claimed and in the news?

Will the media promote the fake terror ???

Will the sun come up in the morning????

Our Media/GOP are so damn predictable .....

[Gman]

3. Classic strategy...

Hang together or hang separately.

[deutsey]

5. Which explains why Foley's being "mistakenly" id'ed as a Dem

and the GOP is trying to tar the Dems with this.

Rove is a pig.

[wishlist]

6. "What did the Dems know and when did they know it" NBC news headline

Not a good way to be infuriated on 8 am Saturday to hear the headline on NBC news this morning with Campbell Brown summing up the Foley scandal as the question of what Dems knew about Foley and when they knew it. So now this entirely Repub pedophile scandal covered up the the Repub leadership is being turned against Dems simply through repetition of Rovian talking points that the media is eagerly using to deflect criticism from Repubs to Dems?

[deutsey]

8. Yep. And the strategy will work because of the media whores'

eagerness to do their pimp's bidding.

[gasperc]

9. GOP blames DEMS for uncovering the Foley cover-up

yeah that'll fly, when exactly were they going to ask for Foley's resignation? before or after the election?

[rodeodance]

12. oh my!

[JohnnyLib2]

7. Scary times, but this gives us a huge opportunity

to actually "hang them together." Planning some VERY visible protestors at that Chicago joint appearance is one clear possibility.

Group X: activation sequence

[WePurrsevere]

10. You can't truly "accept responsibility" & blame the Dems at the same time.

It's either "the buck STOPS here" or it's Pass the buck FROM here. Hastert says he "accepts responsibility" out of one side of his mouth and then states it's fault of the Democrats (Clinton, Soros, etc), ABC News and a "Liberal conspiracy" out of the other.

[gollygee]

11. It's probably too late

but I was wondering when they'd get around to getting someone who is good at damage control involved. They've been really sinking.

Too many people know about it and have formed opinions already.

[No Exit]

13. I ain't a-scared of that fat cocksucker Rove.

Whatever the repukes do to try to stop this festering scandal, it reminds me of comedy sketches in which a wimpy guy with glasses is roughed up by big burly guys, and you hear the wimpy guy say, "Okay, okay, now, you guys, NOW I'm REALLY mad!"

The bastard Rove has just lost his very important right hand: Susan Ralston. He has to recover from the loss of her services. I've been seeing her name crop up repeatedly for a long time, now. It is clear she was very important to him, and VERY in-the-know. Fat Karl must be reeling.