Sexual Congress with Mark Foley

Remember back when the Republicans made such a fuss over President Clinton’s sexual act with another consenting adult?

You’d expect these moral crusaders to be equally incensed with Mark Foley’s graphic sexual conversations with underage boys. Instead, here’s what we get:

– Newt Gingrich first claiming there was “nothing sexual in those notes” and then suggesting that Republicans hesitated to go after Foley because they were afraid of being characterized as gay-bashers. (Odd that Gingrich didn’t hesitate to erroneously equate homosexuality with child molestation — which is, of course, yet another kind of gay-basing.)

– Rush Limbaugh asserting (without evidence, of course) that the Democrats paid or intimidated the boys into leading Foley on.

– Dennis Hastert, head of the House of Representatives, claiming Republicans didn’t follow up on this story last year because parents of the pages didn’t want them to.

– Matt Drudge asserting that “these kids are less innocent … You’re not going to tell me these kids are innocent babies … [They are] egging the Congressman on! They are trying to get this out of him! … These kids were playing Foley for everything he was worth.”

– Sean Hannity lying to viewers by claiming Monica Lewinsky was “only a teenager” when she first met Bill Clinton (actually, she was twenty-two).

– Attorney David Roth splitting hairs by pointing out Foley didn’t actually have sex with any of the boys.

– Fox News broadcasting photos of Mark Foley with captions that identify him as a Democrat.

– Republican wonks downplaying sexually graphic emails as “overly friendly” notes from a kindly mentor and “simply naughty” messages.

– Michael Savage claiming “Foley has just a couple of emails and some allegations and he has to resign … It’s not shame on Foley, it’s shame on Brian Ross and ABSlimeNews and the Democrats who dug this up!”

– At least eleven high-ranking Republicans (and the Miami Herald and Fox News) keeping the secret for at least a year.