The Washington Times calls for him to resign:
House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once. Either he was grossly negligent for not taking the red flags fully into account and ordering a swift investigation, for not even remembering the order of events leading up to last week’s revelations — or he deliberately looked the other way in hopes that a brewing scandal would simply blow away. He gave phony answers Friday to the old and ever-relevant questions of what did he know and when did he know it? Mr. Hastert has forfeited the confidence of the public and his party, and he cannot preside over the necessary coming investigation, an investigation that must examine his own inept performance.
They do throw in a couple pieces of tomfoolery, such as this:
Now the scandal must unfold on the front pages of the newspapers and on the television screens, as transcripts of lewd messages emerge and doubts are rightly raised about the forthrightness of the Republican stewards of the 109th Congress. Some Democrats are attempting to make this “a Republican scandal,” and they shouldn’t; Democrats have contributed more than their share of characters in the tawdry history of congressional sexual scandals. Sexual predators come in all shapes, sizes and partisan hues, in institutions within and without government.
This is a Republican scandal, through and through, and pretending otherwise is an act of foolishness. My favorite part of the editorial is this:
A special, one-day congressional session should elect a successor. We nominate Rep. Henry Hyde, also of Illinois, the chairman of the House International Relations Committee whose approaching retirement ensures that he has no dog in this fight. He has a long and principled career, and is respected on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Hyde would preside over the remaining three months of the 109th Congress in a manner best suited for a full and exhaustive investigation until a new speaker for the 110th Congress is elected in January, who can assume responsibility for the investigation.
Who better to lead the current corrupt GOP than the man who, after publicly excoriating Clinton for his affairs, had to publicly admit to his own ‘youthful indiscretions?’ I agree with the Washington Times- this party is so thoroughly rotten that the best new congressional leader for the Republicans should be a hypocritical disgraced adulterer. After all, if the shoe fits…
srv
No, Henry is not representative enough. I hereby demand that we recall Tom Delay back to office. Only a man of his stature can save this Congress from further disgrace.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
There’s resigning his speakership, and there’s resigning. I’d prefer it to be the latter, but I’m not holding my breath.
Reynolds, OTOH, may have to flat-out quit.
Steve
The Moonie Times is the ultimate insider publication.
If an independent right-wing organ even exists in this country, they are not it. They don’t just randomly go off the reservation to buttress their bipartisan cred.
Someone has decided – and they’re probably right – that damage control can’t happen without first throwing Hastert overboard.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Someone, I think it was Josh Marshall, connected Hastert’s dots and noted he’s only Speaker because of Tom DeLay. And DeLay ain’t around no more, so Denny’s got no one watching his back.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
OT: Former congresswoman Helen Chenoweth, R-Insanity, is dead.
KC
I’m already getting tired of this scandal. Can’t the Republicans just hurry up and elect a new majority leader? Better yet, can’t we just hold the November elections now?
Pb
RIP, and my condolences to her family for their loss. However, they are very fortunate that her daughter-in-law and grandson survived.
However, unlike some people, I won’t lie about her. I can’t say that I’ll shed any tears over it, and unlike all that blather in her obituary about her crusade for conservative values and limited government, I’ll at least try to remember some of her actual legacy. One example:
TNR:
Texas Observer:
Perry Como
They broke a similar sex scandal in the late 80s. Involving Republicans.
matt
OT question about term limits: Before I got into politics, I vaguely recall a time when term limits were a hot issue, but since I wasn’t paying attention, I don’t know which side believed what. Can someone enlighten me?
Kind of random, I know, I’m just curious.
Perry Como
Republicans. Many (Republicans) believed in term limits circa 1994. That was before they had a majority. Check the Contract with America.
matt
Thanks!
Do you feel like summing up why dems were against them? Or was it just because they were the majority?
I guess term limits are one of those things where you look at a great senator and think, bad idea! but then you look at a horrible congressperson and you’re like, wonderful idea! Although it does seem a bit ridiculous, no matter how amazing a particular person is, that they need to be in Washington for 20, 30 years.
I’m surprised this isn’t an issue these days given the dissatisfaction with our current representatives.
Alexandra
Oh my god. Henry Hyde to replace Hastert. That is just too perfect. The Republicans ARE the Hypocrisy Party. To replace the pervert in charge of punishing perverts, you want the adulterer in charge of punishing the adulterer!
Faux News
Sammy Salmon the Public Health Service fish sez:
“Hey Kids, don’t forget to wear your seatbelts!”
Unless of course you’re some right wing crazy Beeyoch who thinks seat belts are Liberal Nanny State objects to be scorned.
Buh Bye Helen! You will NOT be missed. At all.
Sam Hutcheson
A quibble, John:
“This is a Republican scandal, through and through, and pretending otherwise is an act of foolishness.”
The coverup is a Republican scandal. The propositioning of underage boys is a Tom Foley scandal. I’m about as anti-Republican as you can get these days, but I don’t hold the party responsible for the paedarestic fantasies (or actions, should they come to light) of a member.
Power mad hypocrisy? A problem of the Party.
Embracing human torture? A problem of the Party.
Criminally incompetent on the most basic matters of governance? Party.
Selling facts (science) for votes (faith?) Party.
Wanting to bugger young boys? Tom Foley.
s/
chopper
of course. back in 83, it was a bipartisan scandal because it involved a gooper and a dem.
but it’s quite a stretch to say that the current scandal is bipartisan because a similar thing happened with a dem 20 years ago.
chopper
my condolences to chenoweth’s family, but this:
pisses me the hell off. what kind of idiot holds an infant in their lap, sans seatbelt, in a moving vehicle??
Sam Hutcheson
Uh, Mark. Not Tom.
Paddy O'Shea
According to CNN the identity of the page who was the object of Mark Foley’s desire has leaked and he is now receiving death threats.
Republicans. So much class.
rachel
Swell. It was bound to happen, though; there are too many unhinged partisans with Internet connections gunning for anybody who makes their guys look bad for it not to happen. Any idea who did it?
The Other Steve
We have term limits already. If the congress critters district doesn’t like the guy, they can vote for someone else.
Term limits are all about someone from a different district telling another district who they can and cannot vote for.
And has been proven in every state which has term limits on their legislative branch… in practice they are a disaster. They turn the handling of government away from elected officials and into the hands of bureacrats and lobbyists. Just ask California.
If people want to “fix” Congress, they need to let the number of representatives float with the population, and more importantly go back to one represenatitive for every 250,000 citizens.
Like it used to be 100 years ago.
chopper
hey now, you can’t prove it wasn’t liberals phoning in death threats to the kid. in fact, i’d go so far as to say it’s a democrat set-up. logic be damned!
The Other Steve
Based on the moonbattery we saw the other day from that Tom Maguire site. It could be anybody.
These guys have become seriously unhinged over this.
Although I gotta give a bit of credit to Michelle Malkin. She may be a whacko, but at least she came down on the right side of this issue.
The Other Steve
Does anybody find it at all interesting that the Republican moonbats keep bleating on about Gerry Studs, but they forgetting about Dan Crane?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Congressional_page_sex_scandal
Selective memory?
The Other Steve
Not possible. The fonts and kerning are all wrong!
Mr Furious
Term limits are a mistake. It ensures that the only established, experienced people in the given capitol are the lobbyists. And God knows, on the rare occasion you actually end up up with a dedicated public servant, they deserve to stay as long as they and the electorate are willing.
Much better to publicly finance elections. It would diminish the impact of money and lobbyists, and would allow more and better challengers to weed out bad incumbants.
Paddy O'Shea
Another classy Republican comments on the Foley affair ..
Huffington Post: GOP Hitman Matt Drudge Blames Kids For “Playing Foley”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/gop-hitman-matt-drudge-bl_b_30784.html
orogeny
In the Stubbs/Crane scandal in 1983, was there ever any indication that the House leadership was involved in covering up or facilitating the actions of either Stubbs or Crane? In this case, the Republican leadership not only comcealed their knowledge of Foley’s beghavior, but allowed him to continue to have LOTS of contact with the pages.
That, much more than Foley’s actions, seems to be the issue.
Where are Darrall, MacBuckets, Stormy, et. al. today? I’d love to hear what they have to say.
mrmobi
I couldn’t agree more. The term limits proposed in the “Contract with America” were purely window-dressing to show that the Republicans didn’t want permanent power. That worked out well, didn’t it?
I guess there are a lot of reasons why this is not the law of the land, but it should be. It wouldn’t solve all of the money and lobbyist problems, but I don’t see how it wouldn’t go a long way toward making our elected officials more representative of their constituencies.
Mr. Furious, you are remarkably calm and clear this morning.
Pb
Britney Spears? To be fair, she might have had her seatbelt on at least. But still, I’m not surprised:
Wrong answer!
Punchy
I nearly loaded the gun last nite after realizing, suddenly, that I WANTED to hear what Malkin was saying on O’Lielly b/c she was actually talking straight-up facts. O’Lielly looked despondent himself, realizing he was now forced to condemn one of his own. I’m sure Faux management had a nice chat with him about this after the show.
Zifnab
Do you think Dems can successfully start crying “Wag the Dog” if President Bush goes to Iran in the midst of this scandal? I admit, there’s no WH intern involved, and it’s not as big a deal as, say, Kosovo (which was, after all, just a case of real-time genocide that wasn’t even as bad as Darfur) so I don’t know how much press it’ll get. But any bombs Bush drops between now and November look suspiciously like they’re designed to mask Mark Foley’s page pounding.
chopper
like i need more evidence that drudge is a hack. interesting nonetheless. the kids were ‘asking for it’. they must have dressed provocatively as well.
Steve
No one seems to really favor term limits. You could fill a book with the names of the Republicans who broke their term limits pledge from 1994. It’s just a convenient issue for a challenger to make noise about, and thus, not one to be taken seriously.
I don’t believe a term limits law for federal offices is constitutional, so you’re basically left with the idea of unenforceable pledges. Politicians break these pledges at an alarming rate, and the voters rarely punish them for it, so it seems to me the best course is just to ignore them in the first place. If you don’t like your representative, vote against him; don’t count on term limits to do the job for you.
Larv
You think Drudge is bad, take a look at what Limbaugh is saying
All class, Rush. Not only did the Demoncrats set Foley up, they might’ve threatened the poor pages into helping them! Probably said they’d kill a puppy if they didn’t get Foley to IM them instructions on masturbatory technique. Republican scandal? No, no, this is definitely a Democrat(tm) scandal.
Rudi
Anybody have a link to the CNN death threat story. I tried Google but don’t have the time to muddle through all entries.
ThymeZone
At this point I am just amazed by this story. I never expected the Republicans to unravel this way. Dems don’t have to do much of anything but watch and enjoy, which takes all the steam out of my rant from the weekend (that Dems should back off and let the story unfold). When the GOP is imploding like this, there’s nothing for a Dem to do but sit back and enjoy the show.
I have no idea what the GOP will do next here. I am going to go out on a limb and say that Hastert at least resigns as speaker, and maybe very soon. The GOp members will demand it because in their view his stonewalling is killing them back home. Once he resigns that post, if he does, then I am not sure how this plays.
Obviously I am going to have to eat at least a crow canape, if not the whole pie, based on my being dead wrong about the size of this story. I never would have guessed that Republicans would fall apart this way. Dumbfounded, I am.
Pb
Time to invade Iran:
Tsulagi
Well now, if the messiah through his Moonie Times has told one of his chosen people they’re toast, then you’re really toast. No higher authority than that. I like their choice of replacements too.
If Hastert is knocked off, can’t wait to see the jockeying for his position as happened with DeLay’s fall. Each of the candidates arguing they had less taint than the other guy. Apparently that led to a less tainted Boehner. Let’s see if they can keep the Bush/Dick/Boehner theme alive with Hastert’s replacement.
Sometimes these guys crack me up, even if they are assholes.
Punchy
I see London
I see France
There goes Iran’s
Nuke bomb chance
As for TZ:
I’m betting there’s a line about a dozen people long (wierdly, not me) that’s overjoyed at the prospect of spooning it into your pie hole. ;)
tBone
Succintness is next to Godliness, TZ.
mrmobi
Me too, TZ. The Washington Times call for resignation is a shocker, given that they are pretty much the propaganda-arm of the GOP. Dems not having to do much about this is the best part of the whole thing. I don’t go in for conspiracy theories, but does the Washington Times article mean this thing has longer legs than anyone knows right now? Are there pictures? Live boy?
Don’t eat any crow on my behalf, I agree with you that Dems just need to keep their eyes on the prize (the House). This thing will play out, most likely very, very badly for the Party of Torture.
tBone
As the Daily Show proved, there is no shortage of taint in Washington.
ThymeZone
If anyone has any good crow crudite recipes, this would be a good time to pass them along.
Thanks.
ThymeZone
Now you tell me.
ThymeZone
I saw it last night and thought I must be hallucinating.
It was still there this morning.
That means that Tony Blankley has turned on him. That means that Republicans are done with Hastert, I think.
tBone
Correct spelling is a distant third, I guess.
Steve
Keep fighting back, Denny. Fight the power! Drag this out as long as possible, FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN!
Tsulagi
I cannot think of a more universal commandment shared by people on any side of any aisle than don’t f*** with my children or any others. If a poll were taken, I doubt there would be many undecideds.
One thing I haven’t seen yet is if the parents of the page(s) have been contacted since this thing popped. When I first read that the parents had said they didn’t mind Foley’s email contact, I thought they must be stupid.
But after thinking about it for a moment, if I had been contacted by a house representative and he breezily put it down as having to follow PC regulations telling me a congressman had emailed my son working as a page to ask if he was alright after Katrina, I would have simply told him thanks for calling and tell the congressman I appreciate his concern.
This thing would go to warp if the House leadership lied to the parents not telling them everything they had at the time or should have had with just a cursory examination. If a teary eyed parent shows up on TV saying they lied, Hastert and the boys might as well pick up government issued swords to fall on.
DougJ
There’s a must see video of a Tom Reynolds press conference at Buffalo Geek. You’ll like it — he’s surrounded by families that he dragged on stage with him.
Andrew
God, I wish a reporter at that presser had some balls and just started to quote the IM transcripts in front of those kids.
Kirk Spencer
TZ –
Here is a nice set of recipes.
For the record, crow tastes just fine. Dark meat, and like all wild birds something of a gamy flavor. Similar (unsurprisingly) to pigeon or grouse, actually.
Kirk
Pb
Proof that some Kossacks are gullible morons–they think that a site called “LiberalsMustDie.com” is for real.
Otto Man
I think the real story here is that Denny Hastert ate three congressional pages during a panic binge in the winter of ’03.
Pb
Oh, and… do they have Instant Messenger in rehab?
ThymeZone
Right. I calculated that the GOP machine would close ranks and spin up a rope a dope strategy.
Hell, they did with a war and didn’t blink an eye.
The fact that they actually will do the right thing is actually puzzling to me. That means that they are capable of standing back from their party loyalty and actually making a rational choice.
Who knew? Seriously, that’s the amazing part to me.
ThymeZone
A little poultry seasoning, then, or do you recommend something else?
Same meat thermometer temp as, say, duck?
ThymeZone
Crap .. blew another blockquote.
This one replaces my last one:
Steve
But they made a rational choice with the war, too, just a sick one.
The war is a more complicated issue, and on top of that, people are flat-out more willing to be bamboozled when it comes to a political subject than when it comes to their kids.
That’s the point of the whole “dead girl or live boy” thing. This sort of scandal hits home like absolutely nothing else.
maf54
Yes.
ThymeZone
Of everything I’ve seen so far, this is the best news for Democrats
The GOP fighting among themselves while we watch and try not to laugh, that’s the best of all possible worlds on this thing, I think.
And if Hastert continues to stonewall, then Dems can join the chorus and milk it for all it’s worth without any taint of opportunism. After all, as Rush would say, it’s for the Tildren.
Lovely.
It seems to me they made a grotesque Ends Justify Means choice that disqualifies them from government. That whole “world better off without Saddam” thing is the biggest Bait and Switch con job I’ve ever seen.
Punchy
dKos poster keeping it succinct
God damn that shit is funny.
Sirkowski
Ace of Spades has already left the Coalition of the Shrilling, bended over and taken it up the ass again.
Punchy
Fixed, IMO.
Punchy
At least he was targeting the females, apparently. (yeah, I said it)
Demdude
Delay was really in charge during Hasert’s reign. Now that Delay is gone, nobody is backing Hasert. Not a shocker.
This is the time for a power grab and they will throw Hasert under under the train for position. They probably think this also might stop the bleeding.
ThymeZone
Well, if the amount of pressure coming from the right is any indication, it won’t stop the bleeding.
It appears to me that the righty rights are ready to throw the entire GOP under the train. As somebody said yesterday, if they stay home on election day, or vote Dem to punish their tormentors, we could be looking at 20+ seats in the House and a Senate takeback.
But at this juncture, the amazing events have be babbling incoherently, I don’t know what the hell will happen next.
mrmobi
Under the train, maybe. Definitely not under the bus. Won’t fit.
capelza
Forget about it Chopper, it’s Idaho.
Ha…I figured Ace would go crawling back when he sobered up.
TZ…instead of crow, go for magpie.
As has been said above and many, many times…kids are understandable..no need for nuance. Any pol/pundit that tries to nuance this looks like an apologist.
Even if the GOP crowd can’t actually empathise, they know their electorate certainly does. Though I can’t imagine anyone not disgusted by this.
Mr Furious
I just heard Hastert on Rush trying to portray some of Foley’s emails as “concerned about whether [the page] had made it through Hurricane Katrina okay”
I guess the best way to judge that must be to measure one’s erection…Or to take off your shirt and really check yourself out and describe in detail…
Keep digging, Coach.
RSA
I think there’s a much more straightforward explanation of their behavior, and “rightness” is purely incidental. It’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma: If they stick together, they might be able to hold out (e.g., simply by stonewalling for five weeks), with some damage, but the first defector has an enormous advantage, perhaps getting off scot free. Those who remain take the big hit. It’s not hard to guess which strategy these Republicans would choose.
maf54
2 much time in the slimy water can lead to shrinkage, duh.
lollerskates, if you’re shirt is wet, of course u shud take it off, silly.
sglover
Obviously I am going to have to eat at least a crow canape, if not the whole pie, based on my being dead wrong about the size of this story. I never would have guessed that Republicans would fall apart this way. Dumbfounded, I am.
One thing that distinguishes reality-based liberals from doublethink zombies is the ability to say, “I was mistaken”.
I’ll do likewise. I got too wrapped up in a pissing contest about political tactics, and used the blowtorch too soon and too much. Please accept my apology, TZ.
maf54
this is totally fake!!!11!
i wuz just saying that stuff about voting to make him hott
sglover
I’m going to enjoy Hastert’s righteous indignation nearly as much as I’ve already enjoyed listening to right-wingers tell me, in precise, legalistic detail, exactly why Foley’s actions are not pedophilia, properly defined. I just want to sit back and say, “Do tell”.
This is the pigfucker moment of our time.
Punchy
I was waiting to see how long this would take.
By the way, the best line I’ve seen all day, about Foley and his AOL account:
“maybe he was checking it to see if he got male”.
that’s golden.
sglover
I think there’s a much more straightforward explanation of their behavior, and “rightness” is purely incidental. It’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma: If they stick together, they might be able to hold out (e.g., simply by stonewalling for five weeks), with some damage, but the first defector has an enormous advantage, perhaps getting off scot free. Those who remain take the big hit. It’s not hard to guess which strategy these Republicans would choose.
I’ve got a simpler explanation than that: The revolution is turning on itself, and they’re devouring whomever looks weakest. They failed the “prisoner’s dilemma” test in the opening hours of the debacle, when Boehner effectively slipped the shiv into Hastert. Sure, he tried to pull it out afterwards — then maybe stick it back in — but by then he’d already shattered whatever mutual trust they had.
Pb
Yeah, I so called that. Typical flip-flopping, waffling Republican syncophant behavior. :)
ThymeZone
None required. It was a good argument. Proof that we can have a real strong argument without a flame war breaking out.
Drinks are on me, everybody to the bar!
maf54
more info pls!
ThymeZone
OMFG. That is hilarious, it is tragic, it is sad, it is amazing.
But mostly hilarious.
You gotta hand it to these guys, they know no shame.
Jess
TZ,
I think perhaps you underestimated how weirdly obsessed the right is with sex. It’s the toxic fuel of their faux-Christian politics.
jaime
Apparently now it’s all Nancy Pelosi’s fault. From Freepland:
When is Pelosi gonna resign!!!!!
ThymeZone
Well, as we all know, that’s their modus operandi. Dynamite in the distance, confuse the issue. Can you say “Mrs. Joe Wilson?”
yet another jeff
Well…properly defined…it isn’t pedophilia, it’s pederasty. I’m sure the public will forgive when they use the proper word.
ThymeZone
I know. I just thought that the Machine would get out in front of the righty indignation. But they have blown this one, completely. Maybe they were just caught unawares?
On the one hand, I am glad to see them stumble. On the other hand, I think the Machine is a wounded animal right now and I don’t know what it will do next. I want to have a nice long giggle fit but these guys worry me.
BARRASSO
Bush/Dick/Boehner/taint that sounds like a quote from a dirty IM chat.
sglover
Apparently now it’s all Nancy Pelosi’s fault. From Freepland:
That’s because FreeRepublic got taken over by a pack of IslamoSocialist pantywaists. Pelosi? Ha! Everybody knows Foley is yet another victim of Bill Clinton’s sorry moral example. And Al Gore’s constant harping about the internet gave him a method for engaging in his sordid behavior — which isn’t, technically, pedophilia anyway, or even illegal, depending on the ages of the participants, because in some states you can get married at 14, and….. bzzzzzzzzzt…….
ThymeZone
This might be the most biazrre news conference you’ll watch this year.
Reynolds surrounds himself with kids to use as hostages in his escape scheme.
Tsulagi
Maybe he got some IMs from The Dick to get his little one in line.
Steve
If Pelosi really knew for three years, of course she could resign. What kind of leader saves stuff for 2006 that could have been used in 2004?!
capelza
Hahahaha….
lard lad
Man… have Darrell, MacBuckets, Sherard, Paul F. and the rest of the Kool-Aid guzzlers fallen down a well? This is cause for worry, folks – let’s assemble a search party!
…well, maybe later. I’ve got last Sunday’s episode of The Wire to watch first, and then the new Adult Swim cartoons… perhaps Thursday, if the weather is nice.
Seriously, though: could this possibly be the first GOP fuckup that Darrell can’t put his patented spit-shine spin upon? The mind boggles, it does…