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Republican Mark Foley in happier times, at the American Council of Life Insurers 1999 Capitol Challenge invitational. That's all I'm sayin'. JN

Nothing like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. Representative Mark Foley was the chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. That headline is a reference to Foley's statement when he introduced new legislation in July to protect children from exploitation by adults over the Internet (!!).

You already know the basics from ABC News and Jane, I'm sure, so I'll just jump right in to this AP report:

Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., abruptly resigned from Congress on Friday in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former teenage male page.

"I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent," he said in a statement issued by his office.

His departure sent Republicans scrambling for a replacement candidate less than six weeks before midterm elections in which Democrats are making a strong bid to gain control of the House.

Foley's two-sentence statement gave no reason for Foley's decision to abandon a flourishing career in Congress. But several officials said the resignation had been prompted by the e-mails, and he took his action as fresh details emerged about electronic messages he had sent.

Foley, 52, had been a shoo-in for a new term until the e-mail correspondence surfaced in recent days.

His resignation further complicates the political landscape for Republicans, who are fighting to retain control of Congress. Democrats need to win a net of 15 Republican seats to regain the power they lost in 1994.

Florida Republicans planned to meet as soon as Monday to name a replacement in Foley's district, which President Bush won with 55 percent in 2004 and is now in play for November. Though Florida ballots have already been printed with Foley's name and cannot be changed, any votes for Foley will count toward the party's choice.

Campaign aides had previously acknowledged that the Republican congressman e-mailed the former Capitol page five times, but had said there was nothing inappropriate about the exchange. The page was 16 at the time of the e-mail correspondence.

The page worked for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who said Friday that when he learned of the e-mail exchanges 10 to 11 months ago, he called the teen's parents. Alexander told the Ruston Daily Leader, "We also notified the House leadership that there might be a potential problem," a reference to the House's Republican leaders.

Say WHAT? The Republican leadership knew of this "potential problem" ten or eleven months ago? That's right. Rodney Alexander told them, and Foley himself was the deputy whip and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. They knew, and they let him stay. In his seat, in his leadership role, and, disgustingly, in his chairmanship of the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus? Are they that fucking corrupt?

Yes. They. Are.

If you can stomach reading it, here's what some Republican "leadership" looks like, when it's preying on young boys.

Oh, Abraham. Whither your party?

Update: Another Republican chasing little kids.