Condi Lies, Frist Surrenders, Hastert is a Dead Man Walking (and Other Tales of The GOP)

by DemFromCT

This is what is means for the wheels to come off. In the last 12 hours:

• Woodward is proven correct in his assertion that Condi was warned.

A review of White House records has determined that George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, did brief Condoleezza Rice and other top officials on July 10, 2001, about the looming threat from Al Qaeda, a State Department spokesman said Monday.

That of course, makes Rice a liar as well as an incompetent. So much for the GOP and their national security creds.

• Frist suggests allowing the Taliban into the Afghan government, blowing right wing minds everywhere [correction... the Commissar explains it's a Bush, Iraq, Rummy, Big Picture thing, although there's plenty of right wing angst over Frist]:

Why I am voting Democratic in 2006

I have decided to vote Democratic this fall. 

I am a conservative and a Republican party member. I believe in small government, free markets, strong defense, etc., but Bush’s snafu in Iraq is just too much. It overwhelms those issues which for 30 years have made me vote GOP. In addition to screwing up so far, there is zero evidence that he’s changed, or that he “gets it,” or anything. Kevin Drum has a piece today “if Bush gave this kind of speech, that might be different,” not for for Drum, but for some of us.  Bush does not get it.

There's plenty more if you venture into R Blogistan.

• Hastert stonewalls, while Bay Buchanan tears him a new one on CNN.

In the messages from 2005, Mr. Foley asked about the well-being of the boy, a Monroe, La., resident, after Katrina. He wrote: ”How are you weathering the hurricane . . . are you safe . . . send me a pic of you as well.”

The page sent the note to a former colleague, describing it as ”sick.”

“That was all they needed to know, Ms. Buchanan said on CNN. She said Mr. Foley, who is 52 and single, was “writing e-mails to the home of a 16-year-old boy, asking for pictures. That’s all you need to know. It’s done.

“They sent a message to the pages, fend for yourselves, young people,” she said. “They failed the parents of this country with what they did.”

This is just the beginning from the values voters. my guess is by the end of the week, there'll be downright rebellion rather than a successful "manage the crisis" atmosphere.

I can't remember a worse day for the GOP in recent years. Some things were waiting to happen, and the thought of losong power has made some of the GOP downright panic-stricken.

It couldn't happen to a nicer political party.

Comments

[The Commissar]

Thanks for the link and the mention, but my decision and my post had nothing to do with Frist's remarks. The first I heard of them was when Allahpundit linked my blog in his post about Frist. For me, it's all about Bush, Rummy, and the "Fiasco" in Iraq.

[DemFromCT]

Thanks, Commissar, I'll correct. Your post was linked via a Frist post, but I'm happy to have you expand on that.

[Semanticleo]

Kindasleazy read the hand-writing on the wall last year. Her
stem-cell chance in hell of a nomination in '08 has been gutted with every other fish of a fetid nature.

[y]

"Frist suggests allowing the Taliban into the Afghan government..."

So wait a minute.

Does this mean we'll get a tax refund, and they'll stop reading our email?

[mainsailset]

I thought the timing of ABC's FoleyGate revelation was so great...just before the deadline for everyone to register to change their party affiliation. So nice of them.

[rtc]

Why did you sanitize Buchanan's comments? She didn't say Foley was "52 and single." She referred to him as a "known homosexual," as though that's all you need to know to put the pieces together. Just asking why you did that.

[DemFromCT]

rtc, I didn't sanitize it. It's a link from the NY Times.

[DemFromCT]

Gergen on CNN says hastert is guilty of neglectful behavior, not necessary a coverup, at least at the moment. That alone is unacceptable, as any paerent will tell you. even bay knows that. An investigation was called for at the time.

Gergen, otoh, doesn't downplay the huge scale of this scandal. Very bad for the GOP.

[mainsailset]

Glenn Greenwald has more on the coverup angle. Talk about a story that has legs, of all the things we've been through to see this one light the match.

[4jkb4ia]

Shana tova, DemFromCT! Maybe everything is going to be OK after all.

[Marky]

The only strategy that makes sense is to focus all resources on finding a Democrat who is guilty of the same sins as Foley---or worse---without uncovering any other Republicans. If they can play the "bipartisan" card, they might hang on.

[DemFromCT]

Shana tova,4jkb4ia

Who are you rooting for?

Marky , the crisis is about leadership and neglect of duty covering up abuse of poer. Only the Rs were in charge.

[Marky]

DemfromCT, you dont' have to convince me. I'm just speculating on a logical strategy for the GOP.
Imagine, for instance, that tomorrow they could prove that the young firebrand Dem from Ohio---the one who gives those great speeches.. Tim Ryan?---imagine they could show that he had sex with a page, or made advances. Do you really think that wouldn't change the score, in the public's mind?

What I'm warning about is that the GOP will abuse their power to direct any investigation into other incidents towards finding Democrats, and shielding Republicans. I think this is a very plausible scenario.

[Mimikatz]

Glenn Greenwald has more on the GOP impolsion. They have even lost Michelle Malkin. (!) Now we find where the line is drawn for the GOPers.

Per Aravosis the WashTimes calls for Hastert to resign. Aravosis also has the story that Foley's former Chief of Staff (now Reynolds' Chief of Staff) tried to get ABC to kill the story. The whole thing is collapsing.

[4jkb4ia]

Would be nice to have St.Louis-Detroit World Series, but will never happen.

[jwp]

Mimikatz,

How did the story get to ABC? Is anyone saying?

[Jim E.]

I think Marky might be onto something. ABC's Brian Ross is saying he's getting all sorts of page-related stories now. If a Dem gets in the media cross-hairs (even if it's not linked to the Dem leadership), the Republicans will run with it, and may even have some success with it. They're good at confusing the issue, you know.

Then again, if Ross were to run a new story about a different Republican, well, then we'd all have to pass more popcorn.

Ross has to know the Republicans will be gunning for a Democrat just to get the heat off themselves. So I figure Ross would need all sorts of corroboration before he'd go forward with new allegations, and how likely is it that any of the other adulterers in Congress put their advances in writing? I think the Republicans are stuff with this mess, and unless a new story breaks by tomorrow evening, it won't even matter for Hastert and Co.

[Jim E.]

STUCK with this mess

[jwp]

I was following some links provided above, and I ran across that crazy "Me" character again. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/1/21236/6720
Down in the comments, they describe an attempt by a mysterious WHinternow
to peddle the Foley story a month ago.

"Me" was a moniker used during Plamegate frenzy by a poster at Firedoglake that I always suspected was the semi-public face of some sort of intelligence group. Not super-secret, in my view. I think that people who matter know who the players are, and want the other players to know.

But it is all guesswork on my part.

[jwp]

FWIW, the National Journal's blogometer has this version of the origins of the story:

"The original emails read by GOP leadership last fall were also shopped by the same page to the MSM stalwart St. Petersburg Times, who despite putting two reporters onto the story, declined to print an item since the evidence available "didn't meet our standard for publication." But a previously unknown blog posted the emails 9/24 and they were quickly picked up by a DailyKos diarist (the diary was never promoted to DailyKos' front page and comments show some readers were skeptical). Then on 9/28 ABC News' blog The Blotter ran with the story including Foley's Democratic opponent businessman Tim Mahoney's (D) request for an investigation. It was not till then that the career killing IM's were turned over to ABC News' by an anonymous source. The rest, and Foley, are history"

Personally, I doubt it. The National Journal credits "the same page" as the source of the story. Could be. I don't know.

But I just doubt it.

[Jodi]

My brother would say "keep your head down" and probably mash me into the dirt somewhere. Brothers are like that.

Ok, I contacted one of my support guys.
He laughed and said "don't you know?"

This is supposed to be out by now anyway.

The first place it showed up on the net.

http://stopsexpredators.blogspot.com/

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
SECOND EMAIL
From: hill boy
Signed-By: yahoo.com Mailed-By: yahoo.com
To: [email protected]
Date: Sep 17, 2006 7:55 PM
Subject: Outraged by skinterns?
Reply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?

After reading your post on skinterns I wanted to fill you in on what really goes on in the halls of Congress.
I used to be a House LA on the Hill working.
When I was working up there, folks use to refer to the Terrible Three – Barney Frank, Mark Foley, and Jim Kolbe.
Everyone knows about Barney Frank’s exploits…living with a man who ran a gay prostitute ring out of Frank’s house…and how he how used to hit on men much younger than him.
And Jim Kolbe…everyone who works on the Hill has heard rumors about Kolbe. One of my friends even told me that Kolbe hit on him on several occasions.
Despite all the stories, Frank and Kolbe are well respected because when they got caught, they admitted that they were gay.
That and neither Frank nor Kolbe have anything on Foley.
People were always talking about seeing Foley lurking in locker rooms around DC looking for sex, how he especially likes teenage boys, and frequents gay bars around D.C. and in his district.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

From: repub intern
Mailed-By: hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Date: Sep 18, 2006 2:07 PM
Subject: CONGRESSIONAL CORRUPTION!!!
Reply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?

My dad who gives a lot of money to republicans got me an internship capitolhill. I thought that I was hot shit, having such a good internship after myfreshman year of college.After a few weeks, I was finally learning my way around DC and I wasenjoying my job.One night, I decided to go out with my new fake ID to my first gay bar.I went to this bar named Coblot.There was old guy who would not leave me alone. He kept following me around.I tried to get him to leave me alone by going to the bathroom.Instead he followed me in and tried to grope me.A few days later my boss had me run something over to another congressmansoffice. It turned out that the guy who groped me was Representative MarkFoley.

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I am sure there is more to come.

[Jodi]

Maybe emptywheel can LINK to it.

http://stopsexpredators.blogspot.com/

[hauksdottir]

This is the page in Louisiana whose parents didn't back him... they just wanted the matter to drop.

Apparently these pages have been talking to one another. Either this boy decided that his parents were wrong and the matter needed airing, OR the friend to whom he sent the email with "sick, sick, sick" written on it decided to help make the problem public. I suspect the original page has more courage than his parents, and has kept notifying authorities until somebody listened, even if he had to do it via blogs.

So Foley is blaming alcohol and vanishing from sight? That allows the spinmasters to direct attention elsewhere.. rather than focusing upon Foley's sexual problems. At this rate, the rehab clinics will be so full of Republicans that they might as well turn them into convention facilities! Will Hastert and the rest blame alcohol for clouding their common sense? CNN and the rest tonight were interviewing addiction counselors and carefully avoiding the words "sexual predator" and "cyber-stalking" and "pederasty".

...And not a peep as to why the FBI has done nothing for almost a year!

Carolly

[hauksdottir]

My post was in response to jwp

[Jodi]

hauksdottir,

here is your answer about the FBI----

Like I said earlier on the emails that the R Leadership received. No criminal level.
Of course the children should have been sent scampering indoors.

Anytime the "terrible three" were roaming the halls.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100200333.html

"Officials from the liberal-leaning group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said yesterday that they received copies of the Louisiana e-mails on July 21 and turned them over to the FBI the same day. Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director, said she spoke with a special agent in the Washington field office, and she questioned yesterday why the FBI did not investigate Foley weeks ago.

An FBI official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the field office concluded that the e-mails "did not rise to the level of criminal activity." The bureau announced Sunday that it would begin a preliminary investigation into Foley's more explicit electronic exchanges with teenagers."

[Jodi]

Wow, I confess I didn't recognize Jim Kolbe as the guy from AR, a Republican.

My guess is there will be a great deal of pressure to remove the "Terrible Three." Kolbe, and Franks, and of course Foley is gone.

Personally I don't like Frank from what I have seen of him on TV. I don't won't to upset the people here because he is a staunch Dem, but I wouldn't want to be in an elevator with him even if he wouldn't be interested in me.

So if those 3 are gone, the Dems are up by 1.

[Sara]

Jodi, it is a little wishful thinking to assume that Mass, a state that has legalized Gay Marriage, and the state from which Barney Franks is elected, would consider the kind of "deal" you propose. Afterall, last year when there was the possibility Kerry would resign his Senate Seat on assuming the Presidency, the top polled choice of the folk in MA for the next Senator would be Barney Franks. And to some degree the preference of a state in selecting a representative still remains. I fear the locals up there will start pitching tea into the harbor again if you fail to recognize that the citizen voters, not fixers, in the end, make these choices.

Now -- it is also time to begin constantly kicking ass when anyone conflates a Pedophile with a Gay or Lesbian person. 90% of Pedophiles seem to be attracted to small and middle sized girls. These are Hetrosexual Pedophiles, and they are the garden variety. Gay Pedophiles attracted to male children, represent less than ten percent of the universe.

There is a huge unstudied area and it is about power and privileged access within repressive social structures. The situation of the Pages strikes me as a kind of nursery of potential victims so long as it is permissive for MC's to "take their pick." It is not unlike the situation of Catholic Males in pre-1980 Minor Seminaries all over this country and the world. The solution to that was to close the minors, and perhaps that is what should be done with the Page School. Just close it down.

Do they need Pages today what with fax machines, cell phones, blackberries, and all the rest? I think not.

[Sally]

Sara, I, too, think they should close down the Page School which seems to have more to do with our elected royalty having go-fers than with having some advantage for the pages. Foley would have been better off tackling "fax machines, cell phones, blackberries, and all the rest" you mentioned.

Maybe we do not have enough people with integrity interested in public service to continue our current form of democracy.

[jwp]

An individual page, chatting with friends, defies parents by outing Foley on his own through internet, St Pete newspaper, and ABC News

-- after going to CREW first in July

interesting

[Sally]

So many twists and turns. If reports are true, and they may not be, the parents were protecting their turf instead of their son, just as the Congressmen were. It is encouraging that our young people seem to be much more aware of right and wrong than their misguided elders are.

[DemFromCT]

attaching motives is a tad premature, because everyone will spin they way their prejudices are.

The real political issue here is how hastert and R leadership did or did not handle the concerns when first presented. The leadership is a very real practical issue for the pages as well. Enabling needs to be dealt with from the top down.

[Sally]

DemFromCT, most will spin the way their prejudices are whether or not attaching motives is a tad premature. Seems to me.

[Peacerme]

I really don't care about any adult gay person having sex. I could care less about Barney Frank unless he is hitting on minors. The rule applies to whomever would try to have sex with such a young person because of the power differential. The story about Foley grabbing at someone is also worrisome. That's about power and control when you reach out and grab. Touching someone else in a sexual way without permission is the sign of a predator who's grooming skills get messed up by alcohol. He doesn't give a crap about these people or he would respond in a healthy way when his advances are not reciprocated. To me that is the most upsetting part of all of this. He was going after young folks who clearly were having to be coerced. Ugh!!

It's ugly and very ugly indeed that the republican leadership did not care to protect these children. But it's not a new pattern for the republican party.

One of our friends is in the reserves. When he came home he convinced my husband that the taliban was not that bad.(this spring) He said "they just abuse their women, they are not really terrorists!!" I wondered if that signaled a change in the official view of the taliban. The only reason, I supported a revenge attack on Afganistan was because the Taliban was so awful and we needed to "find" Bin Laden. I am disgusted that we couldn't even stop the taliban...and I am so sick and tired of people not understanding in a general way that there are certain big picture parallels about terrorism that we need to understand. The guy who batters his wife is a terrorist. The taliban are terrorist. The american military when you are first recruited and in basic training are terrorists (that gets less and less as you work your way up the hierarchy). We all are terrorists whenever we use fear to make other do what we desire them to do. Our president has engaged in terrorism the world over. We have to stop acting like it's a group of people and start dealing with the behavior that makes a terrorist a terrorist. It needs to be defined by behavior and specifically by the use of fear.

[Mimikatz]

The Page program is also a way to get influence and get into politics. Connected people get their children picked as pages, and they can then meet influential people and put it on their resume. There was clearly a lot of "don't rock the boat" among the adults here, even some of the pages.

I also find it passing strange that the stop predators website only started up about the time the e-mails went to CREW and then to the FBI. It is kind of creepy in itself.

Boehnert kniving Hastert and Hastert clinging to power this am. See Muckraker for details.

[Jodi]

About Barney Frank being accepted in Mass. That is fine. But I can tell you that the Republican Party is not worried about Mass as concerns the Foley scandal. You have to view it from an orientation standpoint.
Also there was the remark that Frank dated much younger men.

And by the way, there was in 83, a Dem member of the House who was censured for seducing a young male page but who then served for 13 more years and retired from the House. He was from one of those Northern states too.

The Republican Party is worried about it's Republican Base, and those folks make the sign of the cross (figuratively) when they hear or see Barney Frank. I personally (squeasy feeling) when I see him, though I have acquaintenances that are lesbian or gay that are ok. We had a really good ball player on the University BB team that I was on, who was a "quiet" lesbian. Nice person but I treated her like a guy in the locker room. That was the only place I had any qualms about her.

[readerOfTeaLeaves]

To volunteer in my local public elementary school, and adult is require to:
1. attend an orientation meeting - at which the ground rules are laid out, and the volunteer signs what is essentially a legal contract
2. sign in at the front office for each and every volunteer session
3. wear an ID tag at all times while on school district property (regular volunteers have plastic badges with their photos and names)
4. return the ID tag/badge AND ALSO sign out at the front office after each volunteer session
5. while on school district property, adults are required to use 'adults only' restrooms -- easily spotted by the word 'ADULT' on the doors -- or risk investigation as to why an adult would be in the children's bathrooms.

All prospective teachers in my local public school district are required by law to undergo a criminal background check before they are offered employment. Any hint or whiff of 'questionable' contact with children ends the hiring process. Confirmation of any 'irregular contact' constitutes a breach of contract, which is then followed by criminal charges.

Allowing a molester to chair the committee charged with legislation on child safety is utterly unacceptable. To learn that he was asking adolescent males to send 'the measurements' of their genitalia is stupifying.

I want to know what guidelines the Dems would create to make sure that this kind of thing could NEVER happen on their watch. For starters, they could at least call up a few school districts for tips and pointers.