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Remember when Dennis Hastert went inexplicably nuclear over the raid of William Jefferson's office and cried constitutional crisis? It was a bit of a mystery at the time, but now it seems like the fat man knew he had reason to worry in the future.
It didn't stop him from endorsing Colorado House candidate Doug Lamborn on Friday, or campaigning with him that day -- I guess he needed something to do outside of Washington and punking Lamborn was no big deal. As his opponent, our ActBlue candidate Jay Fawcett, says on his Kos diary today calling for Hastert's resignation, Lamborn's judgment has always been somewhat suspect. Either he was just about the only one who didn't know or he didn't care about Hastert's moral indifference to sexual predators. Either one is problematic for someone seeking a leadership position.
ABC is reporting that it was known as far back as 2001 that Foley had page chasing problems, and the mad scramble on the right to defend him is pretty amusing (hat tip C&L). No doubt Hastert knows where many of the bodies are buried and won't be thrown under the bus with ease, but salvaging him in a situation with such ugly optics may prove extremely costly in November.
Another of our Blue America candidates, John Laesch, is running against Hastert (the DCCC didn't bother backing anyone in the race, but Howie Klein did). John had a great session here on FDL in July and he's going to be back on Monday afternoon to discuss his campaign and how Hastert's role in the GOP predator protection racket could affect it, so please join us.
As for Hastert -- well, he's covered enough people's asses over time he's definitely got a few in the favor bank. Let's hope he pulls enough of them to keep himself in the game until he turns the entire November GOP field into a nuclear wasteland. He's calling for an investigation, but only into Foley's actions, most certainly not his own culpability. Will anyone let him get away with it?
Foley's leadership PAC has given money to such GOP candidates as Nancy Johnson, Kurt Weldon, John Doolittle, Rob Simmons and George W. Bush himself. Fellow Republicans like Joe Lieberman have tried to make much hay over the company their opponents keep, and insisted that any money raised by those they find objectionable be returned. Now that Joe has tried to make his sanctimonious moralizing about Bill Clinton a campaign issue once again, will he call on his good friend George W. Bush to return the cash?
Enquiring minds want to know.
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Waterloo!
FBI!
lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.
Foleygate..9/11gate the gates keep coming.
Aravosis thinks that both Hastert and Shimkus are toast. I won’t belive it until I read the letters of resignation.
McCloud!
or maybe it’s lay. nah, i’ll stick with lie. seems to fit in this context.
Now that Joe has tried to make his sanctimonious moralizing about Bill Clinton a campaign issue once again, will he call on his good friend George W. Bush to return the cash?
What, and admit he’s an enabler for the GOP?
(Bumpersticker seen today: ‘Mission Nothing Accomplished: Defeat George W Bush’)
ATTENTION KARL ROVE…
ITS OCTOBER
SUPRISE!!!!
I would really like for some accountability to come out of this and for someone to actually have to answer for their heinous actions.
Twisted Martini @
1
Sweet!!! I love Abba!
Yeah twisted,
GO BLUE….
I Hope the BALROG makes good on his bet!!
ITS GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE *g*
Predator-Gate –
Child-Molester-Gate –
Pervert-Gate –
Bush-Gate –
GOP-Gate –
Take Your Pick . . .
Or or sitting an a pedophile since 2005.
Its not a culture of corruption…
its a circle of sin.
The GOP (Greedy old predators) is morally and intellectually bankrupt. As Gilliard says, we need to beat up Rethugs with “so you are defend a guy who coddled a child predator?” Use it like a 2×4.
The radical right used to overreach much more quickly. It has taken six years for the perfect storm to develop. I guess that’s what comes of having a one party state.
Jane — check out the latest at Americablog — it appears the Repubs ran a lottery to see which page would bid the highest to have dinner with Foley.
Who’s toast?
My original ‘0′ was “Singlets!”, but didn’t want to hand out more eye bleach.
Every sitting Republican Member of Congress voted for the Pedophile enabling Republican Leadership . . .
And they will do it again, if re-elected . . .
Defeat ALL REPUBLICANS!!!
VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!!
-ck- @
13
or take your prick?
oddball @
12
Actually I’m a Colorado Buffalo. Just happen to live in Minny.
Anyway congratulations. Don’t bother to taunt me, as the Twins won the Central AL division today. I’m tauntless!
Go Tim Walz!
Steve: Don’t forget HookerGate.
Twisted Martini @
5
Please keep in mind that Dennis Hastert is two heartbeats away from the presidency. Should he resign, who are his likely successors?
Yesterday I sent a pensioner’s pittance to John Laesch … every little bit helps!
http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica
Anyone have a linky to FoleyPAC?
Madrid/Wilson tied. Momentum to Patricia Madrid.
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 23
Not to worry. Hastert is 2 heartbeats away from stepping out of the canoe himself.
grs @ 10
I think that will have when pigs can fly.
As long as Bush is in office and the Republicans control Congress there will be no accountability. Look how many f*ck ups and disasters this crew has perpetrated - the total lack on conscience and principle. They could care less.
oddball @ 11
What would a flaming demon know about college football anyway?
Does anyone remember the House Banking scandal? I’m curious as to when it occurred prior to the 94 election. Memory is fuzzy but it certainly didn’t help Dem chances.
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 23
Nancy Pelosi
Twisted Martini @ 18
You just had to point that out, didn’t you?
The Foley Follies
Who is running againt Rep. Shimkus (R. Ill.)?
dab from CT @
16
I like this post. Very astute.
Twisted Martini @ 28
Let’s keep sexual preference out of this Mister Man.
I agree with #15 and Gilliard. If the Democrats don’t use this unfortunate event (it is unfortunate, Foley needs help not abuse) to batter the Republicans then they don’t deserve to be the Opposition. These are dark times, as the legislation of the past week has amply demonstrated. Dark times call for tough measures. The tough measure here is to tar every Republican with child molestation.
It is a sad commentary on the American public that this means more to them than their Civil Liberties and the folly of pre-emptive war. But we must take whatever comes our way and work with it until Happy Days are Here Again. That might be a long time coming.
I wonder if “Miss Piggy” Rove is engaged, considering, he has all those emails from Jack Abramoff to worry about, OH and Ralston looks like she is about to crack under pressure and spill mucho beanos?
Karl you are an IDIOT nevermind architect….
BWAAAHAHAHAHHAHAA
Sorry - should say it will happen when pigs can fly
why doesn’t the edit ever work?
As for Joe Liebeman, he has been taking lots of republicans money. He surely would not want to take any money from sexual predators now would he? Joe, return all your republican money given by anyone even remotely associated with this mess. :)
One of the big features of the 1994 control of Congress switcheroo was that the Speaker of the House lost his own seat in a humiliating upset. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say history is going to repeat itself. The House is going to change hands and Hastert is going to get the bus ticket home he so richly deserves.
fwiw, the House Banking scandal was simply the policy of allowing overdrafts by Congresscritters on the House Credit Union where their paychecks get deposited — thank God my own bank still does that for me! It was called by the GOP as ‘writing bad checks’ and the propaganda was effective!
Time to start slammin’ Joe over Foleygate.
Is it somehow less scandalous in his eyes than Bill and Monica?
MAKE THE WORM SQUIRM!!!!!!
-ck- @
29
But not between now and early January.
The really big story that has been pushed aside by the Foley-gate is the July 10 ‘01 meeting. It is my understanding that Woodward is very clear that Rice and one presumes Bush/Chaney et al knew that an attack was close at hand. I have never thought the conspiracy theories were believable; however, I can now believe Cheney and the neo-cons let the attack happen in-order to advance the mid-east plans.
I think the screw up was Cheney, Libby and Rumsfeld didn’t think A-rabs could plan and carry-out a serious attack. A little property damage a few Americans killed…well you have to break a few eggs etc. Even after the extent of the attack was known, they moved ahead with war planning and didn’t loose any sleep. Am I too cynical? After Woodward’s book, I don’t think so.
was reading this just this morning -
apparently all rank and file House members must pony up a minimum of $100k to the Party
http://www.statesman.com/news/.....gress.html
only linking it so no one will be surprised to hear “they all do it” - they have to
I get that the House banking “scandal” was nothing compared to this, but I do remember the Thugs were fairly good at blowing this up against the Dems.
And here we thought that Plame had the bastards by the short hairs!
Now we’ve got a scandal EVERYONE can understand!
bg — you can either look up the “Florida Republican Leadership PAC” at OpenSecrets.org, or look up this PAC ID number — C00325969 — at the FEC website (http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norcomsea.shtml) using the Advanced Search feature.
Bon appetit!
dab from CT @ 27
What really disheartens me is that if the Dems do get some sort of control come November, they’ll still do nothing formidable until too late in 2008. At some point, I’d really hope there’d be some decent Repub who’d stand up and try to stop the gluttony. I’m asking for a lot, but it’d be nice. I’m heavily supporting Dems that plan on actually doing something.
Woodward is gonna be all over the heads-on-sticks shows this week. Fredo is gonna declare the bar open Monday morning. Skaal!
I can’t believe this, I actually heard a reporter on NPR describing the correspondence between Foley and the page as “overly friendly”.
What I wanna know is - what kinda freakin friend is that?
cbl @ 44
Foley was a deputy majority whip, a leadership post - he had to kickback more than the $100K bare minimum.
House Banking Scandal - wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_banking_scandal
I will add one to the pile
Conspiracy-Gate
Will anyone ask Woody what he thinks of this?
Will he have anything of value to say?
David Ehrenstein @ 46
Aren’t the Thugs cute? They thought they could let this drop on a Friday news cycle with Congress adjourning and it would go away.
Knut Wicksell @
35
I.Couldn’t.Agree.More.
To put your money where your mouth is, may I suggest a visit to Blue America PAC (to get “Have You Had Enough?” commercials on-air, or the Blue America candidate of your choice?
Steve #43 — yeah, it does bother me that this came out of nowhere even thought everybody in the Republican House knew about it.
How did this catch fire, reach a tipping point on a Friday in the last stretch of an election year?
Could be a kind of honeypot, which worries me. On the other hand, there is so much gone bad all at once that even a well-planned honeypot will not have the effect it needs to succeed.
Has a Speaker of the House ever resigned before? To whom would Hastert submit his resignation? Hasn’t Congress adjourned? Aren’t they in some sort of Ringwraith-like liminal state, neither living nor dead, between now and Election Day?
I prefer abuse.
“it seems like the fat man knew”
Okay…that’s a blow below-the-belt.
I though we progressives were above that kind of rhetoric.
What does it have to do with anything that this guy is overweight. So am I! Does that make me more evil?
C’mon, there are enough relevant facts here to cook those involved. Do we really need to stoop to the level of those we condemn.
Geez!
Simon
Fresno, CA
Josh at TPM has the full text of Hastert’s call for an FBI investigation. It lays out clearly where they’ve decided to hang their hat: sure, they knew about the (paraphrasing) “creepy but ambiguous” emails, but not the more explicit IM’s and emails. As he says, “I’m sure you are aware there are two distinct issues here.”
Hastert’s note lays out something of a timeline and hits many of the known details. We need to be sure reporters don’t read it and think, “Well, maybe that could be how it happened, and I’m sure the Speaker is a very busy person.” It is the basis of the Republican playbook on this scandal from here on in.
It couldn’t possibly be how it happened, and regardless of the level of busyness: the CEO of any 222-man business would personally order the instant firing anyone he heard of doing even just the emails, precisely to avoid any chance of the company becoming liable.
We’ve got to be going over that letter line by line and annotating it for lazy reporters. Sorry, reporters “trying to meet their deadlines”.
As per usual, great catch Jane.
susan @ 50
Well, they couldn’t exactly read the IM transcript on the air…
It’s just that he looks so much like Sidney Greenstreet in Flamingo Road, Simon.
Acts like him too.
John Casper @ 62
It all makes sense now. Well, as much as anything involving creepy Republicans can make sense.
yes *ilson,
I was unaware of this practice and didn’t want anyone to waste time trying to gain traction on the ‘they accepted money from Foley’ theme - although it sure as hell wont help them now will it ?
yua ah ah!
It will be very interesting to see the Repugs spin this.
The Clinton is at fault meme just won’t cut it. I mean, Clinton played with an intern in the White House, so its O.K.?
How can you rationalize your complicity and your ignorance?
I see the House Leadership plays by two rules.
If information is power, and ignorance is bliss, you have the perfect recipe for corruption!
Like Marcia Cross’ son on Desperate Housewives
EvilDrPuma @ 55
I don’t think so myself (Friday dump). Foley completly f’d up them taking a victory lap before going home! lol
EvilDrPuma @ 63
No Dr. Puma, I would hope not. But “sexually explicit” would have been much more to the point. Don’t ya think?
David Ehrenstein @ 64
He strikes me as more like Baron Harkonnen from Dune. Sydney Greenstreet has a certain debonair quality Hastert is definately lacking.
No I don’t think this was a Friday dump either. They wanted to celebrate their torture victory, and couldn’t because of the Foley explosion.
cleter — If memory serves, both Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston resigned as Speaker.
Anybody else got better data?
EvilDrPuma @
63
Where were the IM archives stored? Who disseminated the excerpts from those archives?
So…if BushCo tries to pull some maneuver against Iran in October we can all shout that they are trying to Wag the Dog to take attention away from the growing GOP scandal.
susan @ 70
It would be more direct. On the other hand, “overly friendly” isn’t going to confuse anybody who wasn’t already confused.
Maybe reporters will go on report mode. If they still remember how.
Rayne @ 73
Yes. Both of them were guilty of adultery.
Rayne @ 73
Jim Wright, who resigned as Speaker in 1989.
Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 74
They’re on the HuffPo, but I think it was Brian Ross of ABC who first published them.
dab from CT @ 78
Adultery may be a sin but not a crime. Seducing minors over the Internet is.
dab from CT @ 78
…which, unlike covering for a child molestor, is not a crime. Cheers!
Can we trust anyone infected with Republicanism around our children? Should we quarantine all those infected with Republicanism until we find a cure?
I’m reassuring conservatives I know that I don’t for a second really honestly truly believe that ALL Republicans are pedophiles, but that ALL Republicans ARE to blame for empowering these no-account child-stalking, war-starting, treasury-busting criminals.
Rayne @ 73
Newt resigned from the house and thus did not seek another term as speaker, then Livingston was elected and resigned as speaker b/c of an affair and ergo, Hastert was elected speaker and keeper of this dirty secret.
“Actually I’m a Colorado Buffalo”
Balrog; I feel your pain. My oldest son just graduated from CU. 0 and 5. sadness…
Dodgers/Tigers series baby ! Oh and the book salon rocked, as usual.
Rayne@57..I wasn’t suggesting a coordinated distraction. The Foley thing is the country’s good luck and may help persuade some of the ten percent of voters who are still in play to vote Dem.
I think the implications of the July meeting are too arcane to change votes but if the implications hold over time..future Americans will regard Bush/Cheney as monsters.
susan @
50
Good question.
I think the phrase “overly friendly” came from Foley, as he described the emails when asked about them by Shimkus, not from NPR.
scarecrow @ 32
Dan Stover Oddly, there’s nothing up yet on Stover’s website about this . . .
Livingston was forced out during the Impeachment Hearings…
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/im.....12-19.html
Gingrich resignation
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS...../gingrich/
My only question is about this:
http://www.latimes.com/news/na.....-headlines
When is someone going to tell these Christians that their pastors are telling then to vote for men who have covered for the men who sexually abused their kids????????
now a nice double entendre to the term chicken-hawk…heh heh heh… should make that term stick to the whole GOP…
Then there’s Jim Wright’s resignation.
AP - The FBI is examining former Rep. Mark Foley’s e-mail exchanges with teenagers to determine if they violated federal law, an agency spokesman said Sunday.
Let’s see now. The boss of the FBI is Gonzales. Gonzales works for Bush, a Republican. Foley is a Republican and so is Hastert, obviously. My guess is that in a week or two this will be back page news. If that. Considering the vaunted American attention span.
And… “Defense Secretary says he won’t resign”. This is, I think good news for Democrats. I for one want Donald in the limelight. Besides, if this guy were to quit, that would not alter things in Iraq. If the Republicans were half as smart as they think they are, they’d get rid of Rummy, strictly for PR purposes. This might serve to take the heat off Rice, Rove, Cheney and Bush a bit. Firing Rum-nuts would pseudo-signal the administration was doing “something”.
*ilson46201 @ 81
Livingston was sandbagged by Tom Delay, who wanted his pliant wresting coach as speaker, so he could work his black magic behind the scenes.
Hastert had to take two loyalty oats.
“heads-on-sticks shows”
God that makes me laugh !
Two words that I would never consider using in the same sentence as Denny Hastert - debonair and quality.
Yuch.cleter @ 71
Two words that I would never consider using in the same sentence as Denny Hastert - debonair or quality.
Seems more like an over weight aging Barney Fife to me.
Jeebus Jane, you really got to read this post over at KOS The Real Problem With Foley.
And OMG look at handle of the poster and look at the friggin’ date:
This sucker is going to blow up bigtime!
I guess that wasn’t fair to Barney Fife.
TPM has a pretty cynical and, I suspect accurate take on what happens next with Hastert’s probe
Andre @ 89
Archbishops couldnt be voted out. The GOP House Leadership can!
susan @ 99
So little is….
Note that CREW had the emails at least 3 months ago and referred them to the FBI acc. to CREW’s head on CNN - so they were rather surprised to find there was not an FBI investigation already ongoing …more to come I suspect …
and MyDD broke the Shimkus story … just to give credit where due
I’m just a bit skeptical that House Demos will give their “life, love and sacred honor” to make Pedo-gate the coffin nail it should be for the ReThugs.
Remember folks, the WH just finished rolling the Senate Demos on the Torture Bill.
Why would a sex scandal/cover-up outrank the disassembling of the Constitution only a week earlier?
The ReThugs operate on the principle of blackmail and extortion.
They undoubtedly have plenty of dirt (gathered with warrentless wiretaps, etc…) on various Demos (the 12 Senate Demos to vote for Offical Torture just as a reminder) who seem only to willing to consistently choose personal survival over the best interests of their country.
Anything less than the top Rethug leadership resigning BEFORE the election means they can do anything they please, No accountability whatsoever. If Foley is just the only chum on these politcal waters, the game is pretty much over for the Demos. This is being served up on a silver plate, even for spineless Demos, it doesn’t get much more “no-brainer” than this.
andre@at I think it was Howie’s blog, but is is said that the pastor of Foley’s mega-church said he still would vote for Foley rather than a Democrat.
Imm at 102 at Susan on Barney Fife. LOL
Steve #86 — no, I didn’t take your comment to suggest a disinfo campaign; you’re right about the Rice story not getting adequate attention, though.
It is the single biggest JAR-tanking issue of her career, could completely throttle any political future she has as a Repug, and it ought to be pressed harder with subpoenas.
But this other important story caught like a wildfire…lucky Condi, for the moment. That other Prada stiletto pump may yet fall before the elections.
Steve @ 105
A mighty fortress is our God,
A shield ‘gainst unwanted reality…
Old Sow @ 106
Aye
They’re going to investigate how the story was broken, start throwing ABC reporters in jail, start harrassing CREW, start talking about George Soros. That’s how this is going to play out. I hope you’re all ready.
always thought of Hastert as the big moose jock even the other jocks picked on or pantsed
cbl @
44
To run for State Assembly, they ask you to donate $7000 of your own money. Chump change to what you quoted, but it’s $6000 more than campaign finance limits allow, if you are to agree to the campaign finance limits and accept state funds for your race.
In other words, the Party is encouraging its candidates to eskew spending limits in order to buy their seats instead of running on the issues the people want to hear about and run an honest campaign.
Please check out my ActBlue page and help however you can.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 92
Not exactly, Mueller is the Director of the FBI. Remember Fitz? Gonzo has NO pull once the FBI is involved.
OK — stories that have been burried by Foley –
Rice and Tenet meet to stop bin Laden — ooops!
Abramhof bribes Rove and his aide, Ralston — Oh my!
Afganistan is a clusterfuck –oopsy again
More Americans die in Iraq than on 9/11 — uh oh.
Marines continue to get slaughtered in Anbar — yeah? Really?
Any others?
Exile on Ericsson St. @ 110