The right wing defense of the GOP coverup for Mark Foley's sexually predatory actions toward minors is making its way into the mainstream, courtesy of compliant MSNBC journalist Mike Viqueria. Following Dennis Hastert's press conference today, where he seemed to think the biggest problem was the people who leaked the IMs in the first place, Viqueria lapsed into right wing talking points we are certain to be hearing more of in the upcoming days. After perpetuating the "over friendly but not overtly sexual in nature" meme regarding the original emails, he goes on to reduce the entire matter to partisan bickering (Crooks & Liars has the clip):
VIQUEIRA: Chris, there is one thing..a little subtext today if you've been talking to staffers here as I have to what the Speaker was saying. He started out by saying that anyone who had knowledge of those instant messages should have turned them over immediately. Everything is partisan around here, Chris, even this; a lot of Republicans suspect that Democrats have held onto this and disseminated it at the last minute just six weeks before the midterms elections. Of course we know the Democrats stand a better chance than ever in the past 12 years of retaking the House. All they need is 15 seats. A lot of people think that they can do that; Republicans whispering to us and among themselves and to us that this was the plant, there's a whole convoluted conspiracy theory that's already forming by Republicans pinning this on Democrats. That was part of the subtext here, Chris.
You can almost here the "tisk tisk" in Viqueira's voice when he says "everything is partisan." Funny, I didn't know that protecting children from online predators was a partisan issue, but now that the GOP is coming out so strongly against it I suppose it is.
Then Chris Jansing brings up the report from other pages that they were warned as early as 2001 about Foley by a supervisor in the House Clerk's office, and Viqueira responds with this borderline unbelievable bit of "reporting":
VIQUEIRA: Listen, I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb — it's obviously a very delicate situation and a very delicate topic — but there are a significant number of people who were not surprised at Representative Foley's sexual orientation at the least.
Excuse me? WTF does his sexual orientation have to do with anything? That is just an outrageous comment. But he doesn't stop there. No, he has to take a big fat saw to that limb he is out on:
I have to tell you that I'm acquainted with some former pages from the 70s and 80s and these types of warnings that you just described were commonplace. I'm told that they used to go into the cloak rooms, the supervisors did, and point to people on the couches and say "stay away from that one, stay away from that one, stay away from that one." I have to admit that I have never specifically heard that kind of allegation regarding Representative Foley or any other current member, Chris.
WTF? Did he just say that this is no big deal because the House has been filled with a bunch of perverts for years, what's everyone getting so upset about now? Grab me the Q-tips grandma, 'cos I think I need to clean my ears out. I must've heard that wrong.
If anyone was thinking of using the Spotlight function to let the fine folks at MSNBC know that Viquiera just crossed a big, fat inappropriate line in his defense of Republican sexual predators, I'd say that was effort well spent. This needs to be stopped before it calcifies into conventional wisdom.
Related posts:
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced search
KOBE!!
JANE!!
MWAAAA-HAAA-HAAAAAA!!
The elusive zero!
I am KING!
This is so OT that I am about to be banned from FDL forever–but please, go read this story on Frist saying the TALIBAN ARE INVINCIBLE and must be incorporated into any Afghan government. That’s verbatim.
This is the end of the Republican “stronger on terror” crap forever. I’m not kidding. Am I crazy or is this bigger than Foley?
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_i….._Frist.php
Damn straight this is a partisan issue! If you support child molestors, vote Republican. If you are opposed to sexual predators molesting America’s children, vote Democratic! Simple, aint it?
fitz.
and justice, damn it.
To quote an old “sage”: that dog won’t hunt. as long as there are SOME voices in the MSM that report the facts of what happened, the vast majority of voters (certainly those with kids) will see through this kind of half-hearted excuse. When someone tries to defend a pedephile by questioning the motives of the accusers – i am quite certain that it speaks volumes about the biases and agendas of the apologist(s).
now i’m just waiting for the dead woman…
Bay Buchanan used the term “known homosexual” in her smackdown on CNN. She was very forceful in her commentary about how wrong Foley was, and how the leadership failed in their duties to her credit.
This is about predatory behaviour, not sexual orientation. I guess it’s time to roll out the old stand by, gay men are the enemy within.
right on cue, there go the wingnuts: anything that doesn’t go their way is a librul conspiracy.
damn libruls PUT those evil sexy boys right in front of the decent and innocent Foley to tempt his purity.
it’s Satan’s work, I tell ya, SATAN!
Oh, that’s too funny!
It’s a “Democratic conspiracy.”
yuk yuk yuk.
Follow up questions to “had enough?”
Name one thing these clowns have done right? Just one.
[And] Do you trust your kid’s future with these opportunistic hypocrits?
(for the NASCAR & WWF crowd: would you take this lyin’ and cheatin’ from your common-law?)
Repeat at the top of your lungs until your thrown out of the room…
IMO, I think Buchanan and others will come out and castigate Foley and those who protected him ONLY so that they can say there are still Republicans who have Family values. No other reason.
Viquiera should take his act on the road, along with Drudge !
Viquiera blaming Democrats, Drudge blaming the kids!!!
A couple of real losers, those two!
I love the “everyone does it” defense, alongside the “they’re only bringing this up now because they can.” Who broke this story initially for the mainstream? That ABC clip suggests that they did, but I don’t know– but I really bet that the democrats don’t have that kind of media pull, otherwise they wouldn’t let republican talking points go so uncontested through the bowels of the MSM.
That “stay away from that one” line reads to me almost like a line that would be used by altar boys around priests, ie, that it was a subject much joked about for years but was only recently acknowledged. Was he suggesting instead, perhaps, that we should let them have this kind of behavior behind closed doors, since they are powerful, until the scandal becomes far more than just one predator? Until it becomes so systemic that it’s just one of the perils of working in Government? Kind of a dangerous and useless defense to me.
Language minus Integrity means you can rationalize all kinds of behaviors.
Awesome.
“now i’m just waiting for the dead woman…”
We had her months ago.
Preying on minors can be done by anyone, gay or straight. It seems that with the rightwing it is double dirty if it a gay man hitting on a male page. No doubt there been congressmen in the past who chased female pages. The issue is adults preying on minors. I don’t think the gay community should be the Republican fall guy.
two beers @ 8
YUP.LOL
Every parent (moi included) can see through this nonsense. This story is growing and growing and there is no excuse for the way the leadership acted.
The spin is OUT.
Sexual specificity has absolutely nothing to do with child perversive fantasies, proclivities or activities. This from a ’straight’. I have had, and do have gay (female and male friends and family members), and there is not a one I would not trust with my kid. I would hazard a guess that most child abusers are hetero. Hell… I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation.
AmericaBlog has confirmed the story it was Reynold’s own Chief of Staff, Kirk Fordham, who tried to get ABC News not to disclose the damning IM transcipts. Reynolds is the top dog of the GOP Congressional campaign!
A vote for a Democrat is a vote against child molesting…
of course, the repugs were sitting on the information since last year. and reading josh marshall, not only the repugs but two newspapers in fla, fox news, and the fbi, among others. what part of non-partisan means protecting a fucked up republican congressman at the expense of a child? (and btw what kind of fucked up statement is it to claim: i think i really am an alcoholic — like he isn’t sure but just maybe maybe if he closes his eyes and clicks his heels enough it will turn out that he really is and this will all just go away with some rehab)
“there are a significant number of people who were not surprised at Representative Foley’s sexual orientation at the least. “
Okay… but were they surprised that he sent pornographic IMs to 16-year-olds?
That might be a more approriate question.
Putting on my lice-infested Nostradamus hat:
1. Foley, already resigned, will face charges, possibly in both FL and DC.
2. Hastert forced to resign.
3. Shimkus forced to resign.
4. Page program put on ice till further notice.
5. Rove escapes Plamegate but not this one: he has a finger in this somewhere. He don’t care a fig about the pages. He wants to save that FL seat cause he sees some messy investigations coming down the pike if the Dems take over the House.
Jane, as reported on prior thread, on CNN, Situation Room, Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, made the argument more explicit. He suggested that the problem arose from the liberal tolerance for gays, and “before you know it, you’ve got congressmen chasing boy pages in the halls of Congress.” CNN’s John Roberts offered no pushback on this; just let Perkins blather.
Most likely the Repubs want to spin this as predatory gays(mostly Democrats naturaly) threatening the virginity of Republican teen boys. It will be this year’s version of the anti-gay marriage values vote.
If you let str8 men become Congresscritters, they’ll be chasing girls down the halls of Congress – ban the whole lot of them!
(OK – who remembers Fanny Foxe (the Argentinian Firecracker) and the Tidal Basin Reflecting Pool ?)
If Hastert falls, that would be the first sign of the rapture. He would fall so hard. And the rest would drink Jim Jones’ Kool-Aid to jump on the tail of Hale-Bop a’la Heaven’s Gate. Believe you me, these guys are having a “come to Jesus moment” but its not the Jesus of their fantasies rather the Jesus that wants vengeance.
The liberal bias is the nickname republicans give when people report reality. There is only a conservative bias sometimes interrupted by that.
It’s as easy as ABC – Always Blame Clinton! It never fails that these cretins and mouth-breathers try to put the blame squarely where it belongs – on the shoulders of the Big Dawg – after blaming the victims and the Democratic Party for the fact that it’s so close to Selection Time…
per Michael Savage-Wiener, the boy was a greedy schemer intentionally baiting the poor congressman.
the wingnuts are coming unhinged, and can’t help but reveal the dark truth about who they really are.
*ilson46201 @ 25
AH Yes, the Good Ole Days!! Quite the comedy!
And when Roberts asked Perkins whether the Repub leadership should be held responsible for not following up on early information, Perkins says that it depends on whether they were being sensitive to being charged with gay bashing — so you can understand the dilemma, etc, etc,
So this is the Rove strategy — “this is a problem of tolerating gays, which was not the Republican idea anyway, and our guys just got caught by the inevitable consequences of liberal policies.” It’s the liberals’ fault.
The spin that has to do with gays and Democrats is pathetic. It might play to their ever shrinking base, however most people understand that sexual predators are just that, predators.
The poltical aspect comes from the Republician leadership and the inept attempt at covering it up.
Off to Spotlight to MSNBC.
The Repubs are going to try every gimmick they can think of to shift blame from themselves. I think at some point they will even blame the Internet:
Blame The Internet – The Predators Feeding Ground
scarecrow @ 31
The BS is deep and wide. They have been bashing gays for years, since when have these guys gotten sensitve?
*ilson46201 @ 25
Can’t find her in Wikipedia — please enlighten us!
I hate to ever quote myself but I just typed this up at Kos’ joint;
“put your pants on ya sick Fo(o)ley
(R)thugs are party before country no matter what.
These slugs will sell out your children to save their fat (literal) asses. The screeching we’ve heard from the Republican-loving creeps like drudge and coulter is now proven as their modus operandi. Hangers-on like the PATHetic ABC, CBS’s free-speechifying couric and the shallow Halperin will soon run for the hills. We are watching Caligula 2006 kids and this REpublican porn will burn your retinas.
Billions and billions of dollars are legitimately spent on private porn but no one votes for it or wants it part of their gov’t, much less the illegal kind beasts like drudge will fluff off (pun intended).
This is Republican porn folks. Someone tell James Dobson.”
Some new updates to the “Bush thinks Blackwell is a nut” post. Click.
scarecrow @ 31
I saw this, too, and was disgusted. Funny, over the weekend I was flipping channels and went by this televangelist that was making that same point, even saying the Holocaust was caused by “tolerance” of Germans. The making of a new meme…
What does being gay have to do with being a sexual predator? Do these people not realize that straight men – and women – have been known to prey on children and teens of the opposite sex? Hellooo? Debra LaFave ring any bells with anyone? Mary Kay LeTourneau? (Oh, I’m sorry – that was LOVE, right?) And are they unaware that sexual orientation is irrelevant to whether one is or is not sexually attracted to inappropriately-aged people? Can you imagine if this was about a rape of a young woman by an older man, that the comment would be, “well, no one should be surprised, given his heterosexual orientation?”
I am adding Viquiera to my list of Dumbest People in America…people like him, and the other stupid people he speaks for, should not be allowed to have a forum to disseminate this kind of crap, but it will work nicely for them in the anti-gay campaign that will demonize any gay person as a child molester/predator – count on that being the next thing that rears it’s ugly head.
This is making me really cranky.
I’m surprised that Viqueira didn’t blame it on Clinton. Or on male Lolitas like Drudge did.
Another aspect of this is that Viqueira and the Republicans seem to want to have it both ways. You see if a Congressman was concerned enough to raise the issue of “over friendly but not overtly sexual in nature” communications, that in itself makes it an issue and necessitates it being addressed seriously. Hastert et al didn’t do it. That is no one else’s fault but their own. Whether they acted responsibly or not, it was still their responsibility.
A related Republican meme that Viqueira is pushing here is that it’s all just politics. Well if it’s politics then personal responsibility, truth, even criminality don’t enter in. Indeed as Drudge attempted to smear the underage minors, Viqueira is trying to turn the issue back on the Democrats as if it were worse to point out those who molest and condone molestation than actually engage in these crimes or abet them.
a lot of Republicans suspect that Democrats have held onto this and disseminated it at the last minute just six weeks before the midterms elections
?????????????????
CREW has an article up that they turned info over to the FBI in July(or June?- I’d have to go look)
Remember that Gonzales guy? CREW turns over email stuff like that – you’d think someone would mention it to him.
This is just gay bashing. Nothing new. It’s repugnant, of course. The implication is that all gay men behave this way. It must be exposed and stamped on, firmly. The “this is a Democratic conspiracy” line is lunacy, intended only to reassure the craziest members of the Republican base. What’s that down to now, yah think? 20%?
two beers @
29
When/where was this?
egregious @ 5
You know when Pat’s 4 year term expired Hassert made no secret of the fact that he wanted him replced pronto. Hassert was quite conspicuous about assembling his “short list” of replacement US Attorneys for the Northern District of Illinois.
The irony of Pat outlasting Hassart in his job of choice would be just TOOO delicious!
AZ Matt @ 34
I assume Rove does not think most people will buy this, but perhaps he and Perkins believe that this fig leaf will be enough to keep the Christian Right from completely jumping ship. At this point, they must be desperate to keep the “faithful” on board.
So if you’re going to Spotlight, let me suggest paper editors/tv anchors in conservative/Bible belt states, Utah, etc., as well as Illinois/Chicago and other districts where the Repub leadership worships.
From Wikipedia, bold is mine
Wilbur Mills
Renee in Ohio @ 37
You have to understand, when Bush called him a nut, it was meant in the best possible way…he is our nut.
Of course it’s about gaybashing. See, that’s also why John Doolittle didn’t get involved in the child sex slavery in the Mariannas – he didn’t want to be seen as a sexbasher. Or a child basher. Or heck, even a slavery basher.
Bashing is just sooooo unRepublican.
Thanks for this post, Jane. I was appalled to see Howard Fineman on Hardball as sympathetic apologist for Foley–and Tweety chirping along–that Foley was probably half drunk when he wrote the stuff.
And Fineman positing that poor ol’ Mark was just trying to wrestle his inner demons when he got the chairmanship of the Committee.
The Republican protection racket just keeps on keepin’ on. And shame on Fineman.
I understand the mood at the White House is celebratory with the twice un-elected President finally achieving dictatorial status.
The country is sick over this Foley mess. The best thing Democrats can do is keep replaying these Republican talking points because the public ain’t buying it. Keep reminding the public how the GOP thinks what Foley did was acceptable.
I agree that this was a Democratic ploy. I know the truth. I was on the team that subverted Mark Foley. It was years ago, before he ever ran for office, that we identified his potential. We groomed him, and steered him, providing just the right prods at opportune times. We had him trained to go off when he got the code phrase over the telephone. Let me tell you we were all afraid that he had slipped his conditioning and that we were losing control, and we were, indeed, losing him. We managed to cover for his slips, sometimes with a word to him, sometimes with a word to others to deflect attention from him. When we had to throw serious cash at the last breakout we knew we had to act.
Mary @ 48
True – they’re more into -mongering…like “fear-mongering” and “Hate-mongering.”
in 1974 Ms. Fanne Foxe, running as a Democrat, could have been elected to Congress! Let us hope the same is true in 2006! A vote for Fanne is a vote against child molestors!
*ilson—remember Annabell Battistella?
OT, playing catch-up: my entry ticket back to FDL after a month away – just made a donation to the CIA Leak Investigation Book by Marcy Wheeler. Somehow, the the fundraising thermometer graphic didn’t skyrocket to the top, however.
“male Lolitas”
Thanks Hugh, that nailed it.
Anne @ 53
Ooh and don’t forget war-mongering.
Sure, Jane. There were rascals from the Democrat side, too. In the mid-1980s, I personally knew Strom Thurmond’s office manager. Strom was a notorious “butt pincher” everybody had to be warned about. The young women in his office all wore tennis shoes so they could hop out of his way. I kid you not.
Oh wait. He was a Republican, wasn’t he? Never mind.
RBG @ 55
yup, that’s Fanne’s real name … just goes to show how irresponsible str8 men can be!
He asked a boy to measure his penis and report back.
I don’t know how the Grand Old Pervert party is defining “sexual” these days, but I really think measuring genitalia for a Congressman’s jollies should be included.
I’m just sayin’…
Of course, the reason Pat Roberts doesn’t want to release the other prewar Intelligence Reports is that he doesn’t want to be seen as an intelligence basher.
And then there’s the donut perscription drug problem. No republican would want to be called a donut basher. Or a drug basher.
The defense of marriage act too. No Republican wants to be seen as being a marriage basher. Unless it’s a GAY marriage. In which case, the bashing is ok.
So no gay bashing, unless there are adults engaged in committed relationships. Bc those are pretty sick.
If its just cruisin for jailbait with the underage teens entrusted to Congressional care though, that’s different.
Makes your head spin.
Anyone asking if they at least warned the parents, privately, that they were going to be exposing their kids to adult predators?
Ha! egregious – how could I forget “war-mongering?” (Slaps forehead!)
punaise @ 56
I think Christy does the thermometer about once a week. I have a donation from maybe 5-6 days ago that clearly hasn’t made it onto the chart yet.
Somehow, the the fundraising thermometer graphic didn’t skyrocket to the top, however.
ROTFLMAO.
jeffreyw @ 52
The Manchurian molestor?
Countdown just had the first “fat Denny” joke. KO asks whether the Repubs will throw Hastert under the bus, and Craig Crawford replies, “Well, if they can fit him . . .”
BTW Your daily gas and oil prices
Average price for regular gasoline 10/02/06 in 50 states and DC
$3.00 plus 1 state
$2.90 plus 0 states
$2.80 plus 1 state
$2.70 plus 2 states
$2.60 plus 4 states
$2.50 plus 5 states
$2.40 plus 3 states
$2.30 plus 9 states
$2.20 plus 8 states
$2.10 plus 16 states
$2.00 plus 2 states
Average national price: $2.309, down $.023 from 9/29/06
Down 61.3 cents from same time last year.
Highest recorded national average price: $3.057 9/5/2005
Highest average price: Hawaii $3.073
Lowest average price: Missouri $2.024
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp
Nymex Crude Future $62.91, down $1.88 from 9/29/06
Dated Brent Spot $59.71, down $1.64
WTI Cushing Spot $61.03, down $1.88
Gas prices continue to fall but at a slower rate. Oil prices show volatility but continue to trade within a relatively narrow range. The fall in gas prices has been a boon for Republicans just as high gas prices were a universal and daily irritant. This is also why the Foley matter is so explosive. Everyone has a family and everyone can understand this and will be measuring the Republican response as if it were their own family. This is not good for Republicans.
OT…Wow 4.2 earthquake in eastern Maine!! Ride ‘em cowboy!! We’re all fine.
Old Sow @ 69
yee-haw! 4.2 is a decent jolt….
Now the conservatives are coming out against the Foley mess. From Glennn Greenwald:
“It’s been brewing for awhile now, but I think the Bush movement is entering full-blown implosion mode. Even Michelle Malkin is excoriating Republicans, including Tony Snow, who are “inclined to pooh-pooh Foley’s behavior and carry on about Barney Frank instead.” She approvingly publishes an e-mail from a reader in Oklahoma who agrees with her and who said that he forbade his daughter to accept an offer to be a page because he “wouldn’t expose her to those people.” He also ominously says: “If this crap continues we the people are going to have to take matters in our own hands.”
Included in Glenn’s post are links to conservative sites where bloggers such as Commissar are stating they’re going to vote democratic in November. Until today, I dare not get hopes up for the dem party taking over House or Senate, especially after the debacle over the torture bill. Now am starting to see bright skies and rainbows.
On ABCnews, Charles Gibson asked Ross whether more e-mails were still being received. Ross inidicated more e-mails from pages were still being received and I thought he indicated that there may be others (Congressmen) involved?
This deal with Foley. Rove knows the story; has for a long time. So too Cheney. And guess who else?
Joe Scarborough trumpeting the same partisan schtick:
Hasn’t it occurred to these people that maybe a victim or real conservative would be motivated to take down the predator and his enablers?
It is undeniable at this point that the GOP leadership sees absolutely everything in stark partisan terms (Hear that Broder and Lieberman) and absolutely nothing can be accomplished by trying to “work with them” on things. They didn’t see this as an issue of child safety, they saw it as a campaign problem and, to this day, have excluded the Democrats from playing any role in governing.
Outrageous.
And KO just slammed O’Reilly and Drudge as worst persons in the world, for exactly the same gay-bashing spin.
Nice, Jane.
Jane Hamsher @ 43
On his show around 5:15. I don’t have the quote (I was stunned, but shouldn’t have been..) but it was pretty vile. He tried to back up later and said that Foley was a “bad guy,” but he was hedging and implicating the youth.
Ah, the crap I listen to….
When there is something *this* interesting in the news, I always wonder what the R’s are doing under while we aren’t looking. I doubt that the Foley Follies were actually planned, but the WH gang is very very good at using bang-flashes of any provenance. Could it be an October 6 surprise? ET posted this on LateNite.
Ed*ard Teller @
208
Next the wingers will demand a law preventing child predators from preying on unsuspecting, innocent, gullible adults on the Internets ….
Who needs “My Space” when you’ve got America’s best and brightest hand picked for you by congressional offices all over the country? Foley must have been in heaven. Hastert and company are so totally clueless.
siameselover @
71
It would be a huge irony and a source of undending shame if the only way the Dems can take back Congress is with the help of a sex predator.
Actually, the Republicans are taking this in a direction that I feared: another reason to attack gays. No matter that there’s a distinction between what consenting adults do, and what predators in positions of authority do to 16-year-old boys.
But be very careful: the Republican program to go after online predators was really about censoring the Internet. Be careful not to give them ammunition: instead of worrying about 16-year-olds getting picked up by horny Congressmen, it will be more fun for the right to make sure that no one on Firedoglake says “fuck”, since children might read that word and be scarred for life.
So correct me if I’m wrong the list of whose at fault here includes:
1. Those who leaked to ABC
2. The Democrats
3. Gays
4. The victims
Have I left anyone out? Surely not, Foley, Hastert, Boehner, Reynolds, and Shimkus or their enablers like Tony Snow, Drudge, or Viqueira.
boadicea @ 61
Not only that, but it wasn’t the first time he’d asked, and the kid was tired of him doing so. Apparently Foley couldn’t keep straight the various answers he was getting.
This can’t be spun away. Parents know who not to trust. Give it a week around the water cooler, and by then the news about Reynolds blackmailing Foley to give him $100,000 will make sense to everyone.
Plus, more IMs to cum (oops…)
Earlier this evening, my wife referred to Foley as the “Louse in the House” so I had to use that in a blog post.
Mary @ 41
Mary,
How did crew know?
orangejumpsuit @
80
I’m OK with it. Balances out for Diebold.
OT … Bob Woodward is live on Larry King
Scarborough may have grown a set overnight! DC Sleaze? up on the screen.bwaaaaaaaaaaaa
I just heard the report that Foley’s attorney, David Roth, sent out a statement from Foley stating that he has never had inappriate sexual relations with any young male and he is not a pedophile. That, I’m afraid, is unbelievable.
HotFlash @ 86
Well, I would not demand a recount either, but it would not make me any prouder to be a Democrat.
They acted out the IM’s on the Opie and Anthony radio show this morning… they have quite a few listeners, to say the least, and everyone, including the callers agreed that Foley was one sick puppy. The consensus was that the page was simply going along with it out of fear they wouldn’t have their job anymore if they didn’t.
orangejumpsuit @80: I agree but the dems in Congress aren’t fighting back against the awful stuff the repubs are doing.
Am still very bitter over torture/habeas corpus; just learned this pm that the local paper will be printing my LTE on loss of habeas corpus.
I was just reading text of Hastert’s speech and am being paranoid or is it a little too convenient t him setting up the hotline for former pages and their families to come forward. I’d rather see non-politicians handle this.
especially the ones that should be investigated.
HotFlash @ 85
positively “mucky-avale -yen“. works for me.
Please someone correct me if I am wrong, but somehow I seem to remember Mark Foley’s name coming up as a replacement candidate when Jebbie was trying to throw K Harris under the bus.
*ilson46201 @ 87
That is a contradiction in terms in so many ways. Froomkin today quoted David Carr in the NYT:
It irritates me no end how the DC press corps refused to talk about this until Woodward did and now they are in the process of anointing him once again as the Great Journalist of Our Times even though his main motivation is to flog his book and despite the fact that he like they got wrong so thoroughly and for so long what so many knew.
UptownNYChick @ 93
You don’t trust Dennis??? Next you’re going to tell us you wouldn’t let the Pillsbury Doughboy handle things, either.
Hastert is calling out all of the gop pages to make shit up about Democratic congress people.
They are attempting to muddy the waters.
It is repiglican Modus Operandi 101.
We need to be prepared for lightning fast countermeasures.
The issue is the cover up. Sickfuckfoley already took the bullet.
ifthethunderdontgetya @ 97
Well yeah, but don’t you think the Dems should ask to have an independent non-profit handle this?
I mean I’d have second thoughts if I was a kid calling Denny.
Foley already has a nickname in rehab, Jimmy Page.
*ilson46201 @ 78
hey, *ilson, do I recall correctly that you had some creepy tale several months ago about Foley making passes in the House cloakroom?
Eureka Springs, AR @ 99
Led Zeppelin has a song called “When the levee breaks”…just sayin’
new thread guys
Welcome Home Punaise !
civilities over – if I knew a better word than reprehensible, I’d f’ing use it
just saw and emailed Drudge’s comments to -
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
http://www.missingkids.com/mis…..ageId=1285
Polly Klaas Foundation
http://www.pollyklaas.org/contact/index.html
politely but strongly urging both organizations to use their Media power to publicly smack that bastard down –
having trouble finding a link to contact John Walsh
and oh btfw, just found this at the top of that weasel’s page -
I smell a Newt nearby
pass the f’ing brain bleach please
siameselover @ 92
They are just laying back with their kimonos open, to use an apt metaphor in these sleazy times. Somebody observed the other day that the Democrats have not been effective advocates because they lack the power…all three branches Republican…well, shit, how do you seize power except by fighting for it. Now some Dems are calculating that the Foley fiasco might turn the tide against the GOP.
What is worse Foleygate has taken the detainee travesty off the news cycle and Bush and Rove are gleeful. They owe a bunch to Foley. That is why Snow is throwing bouquets at Foley.
Now if it weren’t for that nosy Woodward, it would have been a good past week for the WH.
Eureka Springs, AR @
100
Ouch!
Macocka!
After the Specter cave-in on illegal warrantless NSA wiretaps,
After the Warner, McCain, Graham cave-in on torture and kangaroo courts,
After the non-stop lies from this whole Administration: Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld,
Do you really think that Denny Hastert or any of the other House yahoos are going to step up, be honest, and take responsiblity?
The mistake that Democrats have made over and over with all these people is that they think they can make deals with them. You do not make deals with a criminal enterprise.
Hugh @
82
the victims’ parents, schools, teachers, religious beliefs – if the victims were moral, this would never have happened.
just like the rape victims.
[the perps say]
Ahem. MACOCKA!
Sorry, frog in my throat at 6:25
Anyone want to wager twenty for Leasch? I say Hastert will not resign… before Nov. 7th
OT…Rice is toast..HuffPo..State Dept confirms that review of WH records shows that Tenet met with Rice. The meeting she doesn’t remember. The wheels have fallen off the lie coordinator.
Nothing like a good right wing sex scandal involving children to reveal the republicans for the scum that they are. They have been able to slit hairs on all the other scandals and they could spin it in their favor, but this one is so simple and straightforward that all the spinning in the world won’t work.
punaise @ 101
I remember the thrust of the *ilson story, but not the name of the party involved. Probably hopeless to search for that comment, however.
Oklahoma kiddo @
73
Hmm – Abu Gozales? Shrub’s old pal…?
Just listening to Woody on LKL makes me want to stab myself.
Let’s not forget that these apologists are smearing Republican pages. From what I’ve read, Foley only had contact with the Republican pages not Dem pages. I would think there would be some really angry Republican parents who aren’t very happy about the hit job being done to their children.
And wasn’t it nice that the Republican leadership never gave the Dems a heads up, so they could protect their underage pages from any contact with Foley.
Every word they speak shows their total lack of morality and inability to take responsibility.
I am a middle-aged parent of a small child, and I am beyond angry at Foley and those who hid his behavior. I can’t believe these goddamned shits called Republicans would defend any of this. If they were at least smart, they’d cut off the offending member in a New York minute, but they are DEFENDING all of this. I cannot believe it. All I can say at this point is that any right-wing politican who engages in this behavior had better stay the hell away from me, because I will knee-cap them.
Full disclosure: Macocka was coined somewhere else in the blogosphere, saw it at work but can’t find it here at the homestead.
Lots of Florida candidates sought Foley’s endorsement. Katherine Harris. The guy running to replace Katherine Harris in the House. He did some fundraising across Florida with Newt. There are plenty of pictures of that. We need a list of people he endorsed. I bet there are lots of busy Republican candidate webmasters hastily tweaking their candidate’s websites.
Steve @6:30
actually, heard someone (Roger Cressey ?) on KO tonight saying 9/11 commission (Ben-Veniste & Selkelow) did indeed hear of the meeting from Tenet on 1/28/04 and transcripts of the testimony are available in National Archives – Cressey then surmises commissioner’s simply overlooked it
let’s do lunch
love and kisses,
Newt
morlock @ 113
err…I hope I don’t seem picky, but “slit hairs” above may actually have been intended as “split hairs”. Given the context, one could (non?)conceivably imagine either…. so if the wording stands, do carry on!
kirk murphy @ 109
oh! you forgot! EVERYTHING is Bill Clinton’s fault!
OldCoastie @ 124
ooh – and Hillary’s!
Valley Girl @
114
oh, goodness, I’d never be that industrious…. :~)
T- @ 107
cbl @ 122
That would be item #2 on my #22 post. One down and four to go. Shimkus (#3) is next. Domino effect and all that.
punaise- you have an aMAZing memory- yes, it was Foley who hit on our very own *ilson.
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..ent-209627
*ilson, feel free to delete.
wow, VG, you actually found it!
yep!!! I assume you clicked the link. Really, truly, you do have an amazing memory!!!!!
You may have missed this during your sabblogical, but *ilson is doing double duty as he is heavily involved in blogging for his local congress critter.
heh, the memory thing is erratic at best….
think I heard that *ilson was helping to dig up muck on some domestic abuser candidate in Indiana…R, of course.
kirk murphy – apparently the demon rum is also responsible… but, of course, not Mark Foley….
If President Bush killed 20 million non-Hollywooders by nuking Los Angeles in an attempt to rid the world of “Hollywood elites,” the GOP and their MSM handmaidens would accuse critics of “politicizing the death of 20 million Americans.”
CBL (121), I can’t believe Ben-Veniste “overlooked” the Tenet/Rice/Black meeting. He doesn’t seem to overlook anything. Hope he will give us his side of the story.
punaise @ 131
correct. email from * “I even made a website! (alas it’s not available now, just checked, but it had the guy’s rap sheet)
from the imitiable and amazing digby:
“Focus on the Family has decided that they aren’t going to condemn the leadership for failing to protect these teen age kids. But then should we be surprised? Dobson is a child psychologist who wrote this bit of “professional” advice for his followers who wonder if their sons might be gay:
‘Meanwhile, the boy’s father has to do his part. He needs to mirror and affirm his son’s maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole in a pegboard. He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only bigger.’
Dr Dobson undoubtedly believes that Representative Foley was just behaving as any normal older man would in loco parentis.”
My letter to MSNBC:
Hey — great reporting — or should I say speculation:
VIQUEIRA: Chris, there is one thing..a little subtext today if you’ve been talking to staffers here as I have to what the Speaker was saying. He started out by saying that anyone who had knowledge of those instant messages should have turned them over immediately. Everything is partisan around here, Chris, even this; a lot of Republicans suspect that Democrats have held onto this and disseminated it at the last minute just six weeks before the midterms elections.
You have got to be kidding me! Where is the proof on this? When you have it, then it would be appropriate — as a journalist to report this. But you have no proof.
And then, this:
VIQUEIRA: Listen, I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb — it’s obviously a very delicate situation and a very delicate topic — but there are a significant number of people who were not surprised at Representative Foley’s sexual orientation at the least.
This is a person that is a pedophile — his sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with it. If it was underage women he was targeting would Viqueria’s comment have been “there are significant people who were not surprised at his sexual orientation”? No — they would be calling attention to the fact that the guy was stalking underage women and was a pedophile.
Again — just when I thought you in the media could not stoop any lower than you already have, you dig yourselves deeper into the sludge of crap.
Get some professionals — you are wasting precious airtime.
kirk murphy- FWIW, terms related to male members appear to be part of the filter, and automatically lead to automod. IN case you were wondering.
Valley Girl @ 138
thanks vg!
i thought i’d done someting bad (or worse than usual, at any rate)
thanks for being part of the mod squad
[ps - who has the ‘fro? :) ]
kirk- if you are still reading, I have an OT story with advice for you re: Maine Coons and the like. Let me know.
[ps - who has the ‘fro? :) ]
????
valley girl -
yes, please – i’m all ears! maine coon stories and info are good tails.
(”typo” intended.)
re the “fro” – I’m showing my age here. The “mod squad” was a mercifully short-lived late 60’s/early 70’s teevee “detective” show – with three hippie detectives. (Amazing chronological and cultural coincidence.)
One of the three main characters had a truly resplendent ‘fro – even allowing for Hollywood.
Amazing hair (- and this from a guy – me – with the whole Y-linked fashion/clothing oblivious gene.)
hope my question was not rude or untoward – if so, i very much apologize.
Kirk- Please stay tuned. It will take me a few minutes to type this up, but I’ll be back with the story. Glad you are still reading.
I didn’t have any problem with your question before- I just didn’t understand. Not a TV watcher. No problem now either.
OT for Kirk- I stayed with my best friend from college when I went to CT to work for Lamont. She has two cats, one that looks very much like a Maine Coon (Smoot). But, he always skulks away from all visitors, except family, and has always done same for me, except that I am family- tho unfamiliar bec. of infrequent visits. As you may remember, I am a cat lover, tho don’t have any right now, but I always try to engage the cats. So, I did get close enough to pet him, and when I did, the air was full of cat hairs. And there was the cat box smell. BF, I said, is there an Agway (east coast) nearby? Gotta get some SwheatScoop http://www.swheatscoop.com/ and a better cat brush for Smoot.
So, I bought this for Smoot at Agway. http://www.petvetsupply.com/grmhsun004.html from the horse curry comb selection. I brushed Smootie with this for about 15 seconds, and he was putty in my hands. He was purring outrageously. AND, it got rid of all of the tangled hair very quickly. Quite amazing. Smoot loved me by the end of my visit. Even came to me when I called him, and curled up to sleep next to me. Unprecidented, apparently, to be treated that way by Smoot. Locally, this object is now called “the equine cat brush”. And, BF’s son thinks that Smoot is now defending his territory against the other cat because his coat is now so nice and he “feels so much better about himself”. So funny.
Valley Girl @ 144
Thank you, Valley Girl.
I’m e-shopping from the lake – “wheaties” look like the catbox of champions!
and the equine brush will make the furry (and the sole non-furred) folk here so happy…
again, thanks!
My kitties ask the toobz to send their love, too.
[fortunately, the toobz activate the ’shed’ filters!]
Kirk- Please report back, when another OT comment is appropriate. SwheatScoop really is great- I took care of a “rental cat” while on my sabbatical, and I am recommending it based on my own experience. BTW, you may be able to find an 800 # to call, to find out where it is stocked locally. That # was on the package, and I called them when my initial supply ran out.
Valley Girl @ 146
Hi Valley Girl – I’m here – thanks so much for sharing your feline wisdom :)
two beers @
8
Y’all forget it’s “evil sexy Republican boys” cause’ all their daddies were rich white folk like them big-wigs or sompthin’ who were friends with them Congressfellers.
FAITH BASED INITIATIVES
The new religion is politics.
1. Everyone in this religion Sins.
2. Confess your sins when caught.
3. We forgive our flock.
4. Born again belief is required.
5. Your with us “or” your with the devil.
6. We must crush & destroy those siding with the Devil.
7. Faith will guide our trust.
If you are in this religion and sin, just go to the new confession room (rehab) to let us know its not your fault, it’s a disease. Once you’re cured with born again values — all will be forgiven.
The key factor to make this work is “FAITH BASED POLICIES”, without faith its hard to understand and accept.
Of course this new religion works in “MYSTERIOUS WAYS”, who are you to question the big picture, you are not the creator / decider.
Note:it is very very important to teach the new religion at a very young age, preferably 5 or younger, comprehension and intellect decrease as our children get older, so we must educate as young as possible or they will drift without faith in their lives.
I’ve posted covering the Foley/Hastert story and referenced with a lot of Internet video at:
Nettertainment: Politi-flicks: Scandal
It’s all damning stuff.
Well, of course a gay Republican congressman has to confine his romantic interests to 16-year-old pages. If he had a loving relationship with somebody his own age, that would make being gay look respectable, and we can’t have that. It would have been un-Republican of him!
The reason why Repugs think this is because it is exactly what they would do if the roles were reversed. They think the worst of other people because they know they would do the worst. It’s just one more bit of projectionism by Republicans–projecting their worst faults on to Democrats.