Up on the Hill, it's not that they don't expect people to find out, it's that they expect those who do learn about your double life to be discreet about it. Like Newt Gingrich's years-long affair while he was Speaker. Folks knew, but no one said anything until the Clintonistas started exposing Republicans in order to stave off Clinton's impeachment and removal from office.
They are out of touch in more ways than one.
This is REALLY going to be ugly.
Reading around the web, alot of folks knew about these allegations as soon as Rodney Alexander informed leadership. Liberal blogger Josh Marshall has Boehner apparently lying too.
Early last night, Boehner told Roll Call "that is not true" that he informed Speaker Hastert 10 months ago about the allegations. Late tonight, he told the Washington Post that he had told Hastert of some "contact" between Foley and the page 10 months ago, and that Hastert told him "we're taking care of it". Once Boehner apparently knew that the media knew he told Hastert, he came clean. That is not how this should be handled.
It's not the crime, it's the cover-up. Hastert and Boehner need to come clean on how much they knew, and when they knew it. It disgusts me as an American that IT WAS KNOWN for a year and nobody did a damned thing about it.
Perhaps it is time for the constitutional amendment for term limits to be brought up again. This is NOT a Republican problem. This is an entranced encumbant problem.
This whole thing disgusts me. What is most appalling is that the leadership left Foley in a position where he could continue to troll for teenage boys. Even if they needed to keep it quiet - to respect a parent's request, to protect personal privacy, to spare the party and the institution embarassment - why did they leave Foley in a position where he was able to continue this behavior? Why didn't they slap him down, HARD, in private?
I have a 15 yr old son. I wouldn't be willing to have him harassed and stalked by a pedophile, even if the guy was a Congressman and it spared the Republican Party embarassment. Where was the Tylenol Moment here? Why didn't the guys on top do the right thing?
God, just please don't have it turn out that there are more and more victims of Foley.