News of the Foley scandal gets curiouser and curiouser. Newsweek’s cover story this week natch is about this subject. But it adds a new wrinkle that I’d not previously heard:
On one night in 2002 or 2003, an allegedly inebriated Foley showed up at the pages’ dorm after a 10 p.m. curfew and tried to gain entry, according to an account provided by two congressional sources, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Foley was turned away by a guard. It is not known if the pages were ever aware that Foley lurked outside their door, but word of the incident reached the House Clerk, who notified Foley’s chief of staff, Kirk Fordham…
Evan Thomas makes the correct connection between Foley’s early misstep and lack of Republican action:
But the questions about what the GOP leadership knew about Foley—and what Hastert & Co. did or did not do—would not go away.
Behind the scenes, attention increasingly focused on Foley’s after-hours visit to the pages’ dorm several years ago. If Foley were really behaving that outrageously so long ago, why hadn’t more been done to stop him?
So House clerk Jeff Trandahl and Fordham knew about the matter going back to 2002 or 2003. This would bolster Fordham’s contention that he had conversations with Scott Palmer going back that far–allegations Palmer has denied–which would in turn impeach Denny Hastert’s credibility and leadership:
This was not the first time that Fordham had learned of his boss’s behaving, in that modern all-purpose euphemism, “inappropriately.” Fordham decided that it was time to go to a higher authority, so he went to see Scott Palmer, chief of staff to the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. That, at least, is what Fordham is prepared to tell investigators, according to a knowledgeable source who requested anonymity in discussing the probe. Palmer has already accused Fordham of dissembling, and Washington is settling in for one of its periodic melodramas of moralizing and prurience.
I’ve read though (I think in the NY Times) that there is at least one other Congressional staffer who is prepared to confirm Fordham’s story. If so, Palmer’s in a pickle so to speak.
This new wrinkle is apparently, and rightfully, causing apoplexy in Republican Congressional ranks:
Foley’s alleged late-night visit to the pages’ dorm came up during a fraught conference call for all House Republican congressmen last week, and various Republican leaders were demanding a full investigation. One GOP member, Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, said in a statement provided to NEWSWEEK that she had “learned” of the incident at the pages’ dorm after she initiated her own investigation. One of her staff aides said that Brown-Waite had talked to a House official with direct knowledge of what had happened.
Ken Mehlman may lie and say he’s not concerned about the effect this is having on Republican voters but Newsweek reveals some interesting polling numbers:
According to the new NEWSWEEK Poll, fully 53 percent of Americans want the Democrats to win control of Capitol Hill next month; just 35 percent want the GOP to retain power. For the first time since 2001, the poll shows, more Americans trust the Democrats than the GOP on moral values.
More Americans trust Dems than Repubs on moral issues? Did I read that right? Isn’t that the Repubs singular issue, the one they own and have owned since the days of Moses (or is it Lincoln)? Reminds me of that great Leon Rosselson song, World Turned Upside Down about the radical English 17th century group, the Ranters. GIven our many previous electoral disappointments going back to 2000, one doesn’t want to get too charged about our prospects. But they’re certainly not bad. Any gain over 20 seats would be music to my ears. Taking the Senate would be even sweeter though more unlikely.
This scandal must not degenerate to the lie that so many people knew about it no one is responsible, because someone definitely is responsible, While Denny Hastert can say he did nothing wrong, because he is not a pedophile who chases teenage pages; he misses the point that some adult should have done something to stop Mark Foley, and no one did until it was exposed in the media. It is this that is wrong, because he did not take his responsibility for the teenagers seriously enough to act in a manner consistent with the subject at hand.
If it is proven that the reason the republican leadership was slow to act was for political reasons such as losing someone who just brought in $100,000 in fund raising money, and was a known million dollar producer over the years, or because of an obsession with power that would cause republican leaders to, at least, put the allegations on the back burner; they need to go.
Last week habeus corpus was suspended, torture was permitted and the Geneva Convention was turned into a meaningless document. These were the serious, much more important scandals of last week, and the media only touched on it. I wonder why that is?
Citizens rights were disrespected, an international agreement of great significance was utterly destroyed by a precedent that turned it into a worthless piece of paper. Only people who have no prospect of going to war would deliberately increase the probability of our soldiers being tortured. It is a national disgrace. It is an act of cowardice. It was a pitiful display of duplicitous garbage that no American with self-respect should tolerate.
The story deserved to be all over the news 24/7 because of the criminal act of undermining international law and convention, as well as undermining the intent of the Constitution.
If today’s Americans were similar to “the greatest generation” they would rightfully be outraged. If citizens do not pay attention to this despicable act, than citizens will no longer matter. What Americans allow government to do to others it will eventually do to us. One cannot dehumanize others without dehumanizing himself.