Republican Congressman Sends Sex Messages to Underage Boys

seems to me, an objective observer, that you are trying to cover your ass. And with people like Foley in your party I certainly understand why...

I'm non-denominational when it comes to politics. I have never understood why people from either party will defend terrible decisions until the day they die - for better or worse.

 

How am I clutching at straws? You do understand that legally you determine someone has done something illegall by convicting them.

 

I'm just slowing down the mania.

 

Oh I understand. That's why I didn't bring up the idea of conviction. You tried to put that off on me. I simply said that Clinton was disbarred-- which he was and it was not, as you suggested, Clinton's suggestion that he be disbarred. Yes, perhaps he wanted to avoid an ugly hearing/trial but he also thought he was due a pass... and he royally didn't get it-- even from his fellow Arkansans!!!!!!

I find your defense ironic in that that's the one I've been using for Foley here. People have him commiting crimes that perhaps he didn't commit and they certainly have convicted him when he hasn't been charged or tried and perhaps won't be tried for some of the stuff they are convicting him of.

I'm glad we understand each other...

 

... when you ignore the facts.

 

I think what makes this so scandalous for the GOP is that they took the moral high ground as a party when they attacked Bill Clinton.

Now, they find themselves losing all credibility with the Foley scandal. Add that with the fact that a majority of Americans now feel Bush misled them about Iraq, and it spells a lot of trouble for Republicans.

 

Kolbe was a member of the Page Board when the earlier emails were brought to his attention

So we're to believe that Kolbe was a member of the Page Board, but when a former Page came to him - a Page who Kolbe sponsored (was he a constituent, a family friend?) and said that he was being harassed by another member of Congress, Kolbe told the kid, basically, you're on your own? Deal with it yourself? Go confront your abuser when you're only 16 and he's nearly 50 and a member of Congress?

If that's Kolbe's story, it's an incredible dereliction of duty.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/10/kolbe-was-member-of-page-board-when.html

 

If you recall my post stated specifically that what Clinton had done wasn't illegal and that the case against him was murky whereas evidence points very strongly to Foley's being illegal in response to your comment regarding impeachment. As I pointed out impeachment is a political process. Regarding the deal In the end Clinton agreed to the deal. I didn't say he suggested but that he agreed to the deal.

I will agree with you that what Foley hasn't been convicted of a crime and that he is still innocent. That said the evidence we have clearly seems to indicate he violated the law he sponsored. Clinton's case wasn't quite so clear cut because while it might've illicited groans the definition of "is" actually matters since proving that he perjured himself requires proof that he himself knowingly did. The Foley law regards sexual electronic communication with a minor. The challenge would be to prove that the communication wasn't sexual which since he talks about sex already establishes that.

At the minimum we could probably agree that what they both did was unethical if not proven illegal. That given I don't see how the degree of moral offense regarding what Foley did could be considered worse or even as bad as what Clinton did.

 

Kolbe is the second person to come forward and say that top House officials had early warnings about inappropriate Foley approaches to pages. Trandahl, the top administrative officer of the House, got his job from Hastert.

 

Question:

Trying to figure out this timeline. What year was the law he worked on passed? Was this stuff taking place before the law was passed, while it was being passed, after being passed or what? Just curious because it is so ironic that he may have broken his own law.

 

It must be pretty rare that someone made the law that might get them in trouble!

 

I guess what I'm getting at is.. was this stuff going on at the same time that he was getting the law passed? That would be pretty disturbing if he were spending part of his time passing laws and the other part taking part in this stuff.

 

Do you have ANY doubt really that Clinton perjured himself or did whatever he had to do to survive politically?

Of that, Foley is guilty as hell. No question. He hasn't been convicted but he will be I'm quite sure. Clinton's case might not be so clear but he is without doubt just as guilty as Foley. Do you have any doubt?

I think you probably mean the reverse of what you've said here. Both are terrible in their own way. Neither should be tolerated.

 

They? One big scandal makes everyone in the party lose credibility? Not in the least. You underestimate the base.

Furthermore, this "majority" you speak of is the majority among those asked and polled.

Anyone can go to Montrose, San Fransisco or the Village and poll. Ask people in springer watchin' red land and you'll hear otherwise.

Scared yet?

 

do you have any idea how these polls work?

 

That's not how polls work.

 

If voting can be "manipulated", don't you think polling can be "skewed?"

I guess some pollsters are neutral, but lots of times you hear them identified as Democratic pollster or Republican pollster....

 

Yes polls released by individual campaigns are rarely as accurate as the independent major polling firms. Even those should be taken with a grain of salt.

If you know what questions were asked that might help you to better evaluate the polls. Often the questions the people are asked are included in the poll.