I still don't get it, the little I have heard about the contents of the e-mails, I don't see anything damning.
What changed?
Maybe they found one from Barney Frank asking him "how much for the leetle boy?".
There are several threads, look for one with IM in the title.
He resigned VERY quickly, and he was very far ahead in the polls. If this were innocent, he likely could have weathered the storm. He's been around long enough that his constituents would probably have stuck through a false smear.
What changed is that the dems have something on Foley, something that now won't be handed off to the media. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resigned -- not at the age of 52, just before a re-election bid that was sure to succeed.
He's supposedly had other emails that have sexual overtones. If so, he's a total idiot to think it wouldn't eventually get out.
I don't think anything's changed. I just think, he's gay and in our society that's pretty much all that's needed to crucify the guy. Sad, but true. People are still largely homophobic, especially the "conservative Right". It's funny that the democrats, whom we're supposed to believe are so open-minded and tolerant, Ha!, are willing to jump on this bandwagon (sure that's not what they're calling it, but that's what it is). They don't care that it's a homophobically-inspired attack, they just care that it'll get rid of a republican and give the republicans a black eye at the same time.
I think being a republican and gay and having campaigned tirelessly for stronger legislation against perverts which was bound to create some pretty powerful enemies in that basketfull of vipers in DC, resigning was his only option, that or fight alone. I also think he may have resigned to...
A) save his family from further embarrassment, because we all have dirty laundry/ghosts and now all of his would be aired, from one night stands to affairs with colleagues (possibly ruining their careers as well?);
B) doesn't want the country's attention shifted from the IMPORTANT issues, like the WOT and how our reps and congresspeople have voted on those issues, which would affect the right's chances of keeping the balance of power shifted to the right and
C) he just doesn't want his (or his friend's, former/current lovers', associates') name smeared any more than necessary. By the end of this long, drawn-out battle, who'd actually believe that he's innocent after the press (our unbiased media, ha!, right) gets through with him?
I admire his sense of duty and self-sacrifice (those themes always gets me right *here*). I just wish he didn't have to. It's not fair, especially when the allegation is based on a prejudice which I think this one is. Personally, I think this kid got freaked out that this Rep was being friendly with him when he found out that Foley was gay, you know? He's 16-ish and his buddies started to tease him and that's all it took (cf., "I don't want to know what I should read into *that*", in his email talking about Foley telling him about his bikeriding--would he have said the same thing if it was Lance writing to him about bikeriding? I don't think so!).
Of course, this kid learned his lessons well on capitol hill. *Don't screw your mate until he's gone all out for you and given you a letter of recommendation to the college you want to attend and you've squeezed all you can from him. His time interning in DC wasn't a complete waste.