Foley and the Denial Game
One senior House Republican told CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger that this scandal "could be the congressional equivalent of Katrina. Our base is moral conservatives and we look like a bunch of hypocrites who just didn't want another scandal before the election."
Meeting with reporters Monday, Hastert said his aides and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., heeded the wishes of the parents of the former House page, who wanted such questionable e-mails to stop but didn't want the matter pursued. Shimkus and the House clerk told Foley last fall to cut off all communication with the former page, who lived in Louisiana.
Hastert says neither Shimkus nor his own aides saw the 2005 e-mail, noting that it was far less sexually explicit than the electronic messages that ABC News revealed last week.
"There wasn't much there other than a friendly inquiry," Hastert said of the 2005 message from Foley, R-Fla., described as "sick" by the boy. The message asked for a photograph and mentioned a different teen who was in "great shape." (source) Highlighting my own
It amazes me that the Republicans are now looking for dark cover away from the light of this controversy. Just a few of thoughts....
1) They compare this to President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. Dare I point out that Monica Lewinski was an adult? That small omission from their argument makes a big difference.
2) Yes, they do look like a bunch of hypocrites, because they are. If you are going to preach "moral values" and "family values" and use those values as a weapon, then you must realize that that same weapon can be used against you. So when that happens, and you try to push the blame on to something else; Bill Clinton and his affair, or the use of alcohol by Rep. Foley to justify his actions, don't be surprised if some will see you as a hypocrite.
3) I can understand that the parents of this teenager didn't want the matter pursued. IRRELEVANT! There was possible criminal activity involved (just read the private messages exchanged between Foley and the teenager), and, more important, how many other children could have been involved.
To me, this logic is similar to that of a rape victim. He/she may not want to pursue the rape because of the stigma of public exposure. But what you have to realize is that the rapist could be doing the same thing to other people. The fact that Rep. Foley specifically made reference to yet another teen should suggest this, and be grounds for an investigation.
4) Pointing to his use of alcohol as the reason Rep. Foley did these deeds is a diversion. It's the same damn argument used to suggest that being a gay man makes you want male children. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and may make you act out on something that was already there to begin with, namely, his desire (well known by many apparently) to be with male teenagers. I'll grant you that. He drank, and acted out on impulses that were already there. To blame that on alcohol is nonsense.
Aside from the lurid details that are coming out of this, what sickens me most is a complete denial of responsibility from the heart of this matter by Foley's party, and Rep. Foley himself. An investigation should be done, and those who had information and didn't come forward with that information are just as guilty as Foley himself. They should resign.
Remember the Catholic priests who abused so many children? That was allowed to flourish for decades because no one in power came forward and took responsibility. Which brings up another possibility. Perhaps we have a Catholic priest scenario playing out here. Are there others who have abused congressional pages, both heterosexual and homosexual, that we still know nothing about? It makes you wonder.
We are dealing with people's lives here, and Foley's party is talking about how this is going to potentially make them look bad in November.
How sick is that?
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As a follow-up to my comparison to all of this with the Catholic Church in it's secretive treatment towards gay priests, I read this thought provoking article from the Boston Globe this morning...
Well, Pat Robertson was spewing stats saying that while gay men make up 3 to 4% of the population, they are responsible for 40% of molestations.
Of course, that's totally bogus. What it really means is that the vast majority of heterosexual molestations go unreported or unpunished. Men who have sex with underage girls are far less likely to be prosecuted that men who have sex with underage boys.
The saddest thing about Foleygate is that it will bring more focus on inappropriate sexual conduct involving boys and the sexual abuse of underage girls will continue to be ignored.
I didn't see the molestation by a priest coming, but I suppose I'm not surprised. He has to blame it on alcohol or molestation.
But Foley is really out of the picture now. He's discredited, ashamed, not responsible, etc....
The real question is where this will go from here. WHO knew WHAT, WHEN. Even now, some are blaming the teenagers themselves for this...
Where will the Republicans spin this from here? This is one possibility...
Better yet, make homosexuality the REASON that he committed pedophilia in the first place. They have been trying to make that link for years. In the end, if they can pull that off, they have made Foley a "victim" because his gayness, which was caused by a homosexual (no doubt) priest molesting him, CAUSED him to be a pedophile. It wasn't Foley's fault. And at the same time further damning the gay community in the process.
There would still be some fallout over people who had knowledge of this happening long ago, but even on the morning news this morning, they are claiming that they knew nothing about the hard core stuff.
So, if this worked, it's possible the Republicans would keep both houses of Congress in November, have more ammunition against "gay marriage" (once you've established it as an "ill" with this further evidence), and all the while, this little diversion has taken our minds off how bad things are in Iraq.
We should not be fooled. All of this could turn around and turn out ok for the Republicans. It all depends on how it's played out, how much they can contain this damage, turn the blame towards someone else, and divert out attention away from Iraq.
People are very easily lead.
NOW he is saying that he was molested by clergy when he was a boy!
Not that that makes what he did appropriate, mind you, nor is he blaming what he did on his past, or his alcoholism, or whatever other sketchy life experiences he may come out with tomorrow.
And this man was writing laws to protect our children from people like, well, like himself?
Yea, this whole running off to rehab thing! That's so frat-boy. I'm not gay, I was drunk!
Maybe we should see if congress is interested in putting warning labels on alcohol? Warning: Consuming this beverage may cause homosexual lust.
reminds me of the old joke - a guy walks into a bar and asks for 3 shots of Jack Daniels. Bartender says 'celebrating something?' and the guy says 'my first BJ'. Bartender says 'That's great, I'll buy you another' and the guy says 'no, I think 3 shots should get rid of the taste'.
What I am sure is in their minds is that this will all be revealed as a cover-up: Republicans whoring after power and desperately afraid they could lose House and Senate seats in this election; so they were knowingly concealing the corruption in their midst. Sounds exactly like Cardinal Law and other bishops and cardinals who wanted to make sure the Catholic Church didn't look like the rotten carcass that it is, so they could continue to control people's lives.
I hope they get reamed in both this and the 2008 elections. And of course, there is Bob Woodward's book breathing down their necks, too. Good times, Bill, good times.