9 October 2006 - 10:24am
Yet another Congressional Republican knew of Mark Foley's behavior all the way back in 2000
The scope of the cover-up widens:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican colleague of disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley knew of his sexually charged computer messages to teenage assistants as far back as 2000 and confronted him about them, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
A congressional page showed Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe inappropriate messages he had received from Foley six years ago, the Post reported.
The news indicates that Foley's sexually charged communications with pages were known to other lawmakers five years earlier than was previously acknowledged.
As the Washington Post reports:
The revelation pushes back by at least five years the date when a member of Congress has acknowledged learning of Foley's behavior with former pages. A timeline issued by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) suggested that the first lawmakers to know, Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill.), the chairman of the House Page Board, and Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.), became aware of "over-friendly" e-mails only last fall. It also expands the universe of players in the drama beyond members, either in leadership or on the page board.
So why did the Republicans cover for Foley for so many years? Did they think it wasn't important?
Or was protecting their image and holding on to power more important? (Duh!)
I am just totally disgusted. I never thought anyone would stoop so low -- not even those Republicans in Washington who are driving the country right into a ditch.
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Comments
Let's stop and ask if this really ranks in the same category as something like what happened at Abu Ghraib, or is it more along the lines of a Monika Lewinsky? Yes, Foley is a perverted man who likes young men. Yes, he did very improper things and it sounds like a number of people within the Republican ranks had at least some idea of what he was up to and should have blown the whistle a long time ago.
Looking at the facts (if you can even know for sure what's true and what isn't in this debacle) it does appear that wrong-doings occurred. Sure. But considering the fact that so many other horrific events happen every day in the US, how can the general populace focus so much on this one thing? Both political parties don't really represent the average middle-income family's interests any more, do they? Why do you care so much what these idiots are up to?
I'd be putting so many other things so much higher on my list of 'things to be pissed off about' - such as child maltreatment and hunger, the lack of public health care, the state of the education system. I think both parties know that if they dupe the public into focusing on something like Mark Foley's sexual proclivities and the scandal of a cover up, they won't have to answer the tough questions about why so many other serious issues aren't being addressed.
Maybe I'm way off the mark since I don't live in your country, but if I did, I wouldn't be falling for the 'look over here' tactics currently taking place.
I think the reason people are so concerned about this sordid episode is that there has been a continuing erosion in the public trust. The Republicans ran against government saying that government was the problem in American society because of its inefficiency.
Now we have elected officials who are contemptuous of government and of the people they are elected to serve.
The United States has become modern Rome and like the fall of that Empire, we look to the leaders who speak one way and act another, where senators and leaders live high at the expense of their people while sinking into baseness. I would say this the incident is sort of the straw that breaks the camel's back.
What people may well be feeling is that "this is the last straw."
If you're new to this site, all you have to do is check out the tag cloud at the top left of every page, which lists the various topics covered by people posting here. If you want heavier topics, take your pick. I'm not sure why you seem so eager to give the GOP a pass for such a cover-up.
This issue is not at all like Monica Lewinsky. She was 22, which is quite a bit older than 15 or 16, for starters. Are you familiar with the concept of "being legal"? There's a reason why having sex with minors is a felony in so many states.
What's more, this is child predation on the internet, not some arcane affair between mutually consenting adults taking place isolated in the White House in rooms off limits to all but a handful of people. Child predation on the internet is happening all over.
Lastly, I agree with Matsu's point that this cover-up behavior is all the worse given the GOP's claimed purpose of "cleaning up Washington." It's more like "cleaning up in Washington," and little things like integrity, morality, legality are simply political inconveniences that are best swept under the rug.
Obviously, to spread the word would harm their image. They believe it was important. Important enough not to let it get out to the public. If it did, say hello to the democrats. But for sure, given the same situation, the Democrats would most likely do the same.