Drip, Drip, Drip of Foley Messages Part of Calculated Campaign?

ABC News/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein

October 2, 2006 - 16:32

Day One: Suspicious-but-not-explict emails.

Day Two: Explicit instant messages, but no evidence Foley met with boys.

Day Four: Instant message indicating Foley was indeed seeking to meet and possibly had already met with a boy.

Foley deserves what he's gotten and what is likely to come. But it seems increasingly plausible that the timed release of information - of ever-increasing seriousness - is part of a calculated campaign to keep the story in the news and inflict the maximum amount of political damage on the GOP.

That would seem the logical inference in light of the latest information promulgated this afternoon by ABC News. An article written by Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer, E-mails Show Foley Sought to Rendezvous with Page, contains the text of an instant message session in which Foley expressly tells a boy "I want to see you." Foley also mentions "I miss you a lot since San Diego," suggesting that perhaps they had already met.

When Ross' source provided him the first email, isn't it likely that he already had the more graphic instant messages in his possession? But dumping everything on day one would have reduced the number of news cycles of front page coverage.

This story has obviously destroyed Foley's professional career. It might inflict wider damage on the GOP. But if it turns out that political partisans were behind a carefully-timed disclosure campaign, it's not hard to imagine a serious backlash on the Democrats.

[stpickrell]

Was the entire truth about Whitewater released in a day? Ditto the entire truth about Monica and Dan Rather. No, those stories broke gradually and so is this one.

Random scandals like this come down from the Heavens (or up from Hell) and fall on the donkeys and the elephants. This could've happned to a Democrat just as easily.

FWIW, Barney Frank and Gerry Studds should've resigned IMO.

[Enchante]

DU-bozo: "So the Freeps are excusing his child predator habits?"

Earth to DU-bozos: no one here (that I have seen) is making any excuse for Foley, and in fact he was forced to resign immediately (unlike umpteen sleazebags of the Demagogic Party) and will be subject to any appropriate investigations, etc. However, many of us do find it fascinating that the Demagogues of your ilk, who have endlessly excused the boy-bonking of Gerry Studds and girl-bonking of Mel Reyolds, et al, and other scummy behavior of Barney Frank, Bill Clinton, et al.... could possibly not see that you on the left are all raving, flaming hypocrites, liars, and frauds. All of you at DU are scum.

[rwfromkansas]

Today it is all about when did the GOP know etc.

It will be even worse tomorrow.

I am frankly getting sick to my stomach with all of this. I don't think we will lose the House or Senate, but the Mason-Dixon polls are making me wonder.....they have us in really, really, bad shape, perhaps losing both houses.

Now this....how many more of these hits can we take without it dragging down chances of winning? We can't dodge them forever.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

can you further explain how you really feel?? :-)

[MOgirl]

"If the GOP leadership covered things up, they will lose in five weeks. "




Hello,

With all respect, if the Media can convince the public that the GOP Leadership covered things up, they will lose, even if it NEVER happened. Remember that and remember you are hearing the DBM, think they have an agenda here????

Glad to be here, MOgirl

[HawaiianGecko]

The age of sexual consent in D.C. is 16 years of age regardless of gender. (source)

The Page program requires one to be at least 16 years of age. (Source)

The ex-page in question has said very loudly and posted on a website that his encounters with Foley were after he left the page program. His quote is: "I have stressed several key points in my contact with media that all situations with Mr. Foley occurred after we had finished our service as pages. That if anything had happed while we were in Washington, it would have been dealt with. That I have full faith and trust that any of the supervisors and staff we worked with would have properly dealt with any situation like the current one. That the page program is one of the most wonderful and educational experiences a youth can have."  (Source)

There has been no evidence or even rumors of evidence that Foley and this ex-page actually had sex. (Source) Therefore, a crime has not been committed unless we make homosexual behavior illegal and make that law retroactive.

The reason both houses of congress have ethics committees are to handle situations like this where a law has not been broken, but something immoral did happen.

What is really funny about this story is that Foley didn't have sex with a page. He apparently didn't even email a page, it was an EX-PAGE. Therefore the only logical conclusion one can come to concerning all the hyperventilating people like Nancy Pelosi is they must think it is immoral to have homosexual sex.

This is the first time I can say I agree with her.

[Enchante]

"can you further explain how you really feel?? :-)"

OK, the only time it's worth thinking of DU-ers (or any raving leftists) is in the midst of a good healthy bowel movement..... that's when I can put them all in the "proper perspective"....... :<)

[Enchante]

"Nancy Pelosi .... must think it is immoral to have homosexual sex"

Shhhhh, don't tell her moonbat constituents....

[GeorgiaDawg32]

LOL...

[conservative blonde]

When do the Republicans have our October surprise for the Rats?

[freema]

Like every story that gets into the media these days, it is calculated, timed and written to do the most damage to the GOP.

Actually, it's more 'every story that gets into the media these days, is calculated, timed and written to do the most' CYA FOR THE LEFT. Was not the ABSCAM tape released at the same time?

[knittnmom]

Thanks - I was a bit confused.

[knittnmom]

Thanks for the clarification.

[af_vet_1981]

But if it turns out that political partisans were behind a carefully-timed disclosure campaign, it's not hard to imagine a serious backlash on the Democrats.

Does the sun rise in the East ?

[JulieRNR21]

What is really funny about this story is that Foley didn't have sex with a page. He apparently didn't even email a page, it was an EX-PAGE. Therefore the only logical conclusion one can come to concerning all the hyperventilating people like Nancy Pelosi is they must think it is immoral to have homosexual sex.

This is the first time I can say I agree with her.

---

BRAVO BUMP.......

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"Gray Davis supporters orchestrated a bogus lawsuit against the company of challenger Bill Simon. The trial was fast-tracked to reach a guilty verdict before the election. Simon lost the election, but the conviction was overturned on appeal a few months later."

You refer to the Hindelang affair.

The Simon campaign had only itself to blame for that one. I won't get into the details here, but through some verifiable contacts I personally informed the Simon campaign of the Hindelang problem prior to the primaries, with seventeen pages of documentation from lexis-nexis and other sources. They ignored it and my increasingly concerned warnings as Davis' flying monkeys meticulously put their trap into place. They could not claim surprise when the trap finally sprang.

Simon was a rookie and in way over his head. Unfortunately that's the case with most Republicans-- we just can't comprehend the sheer evil minds of the 'Rats. Today we see it in every defeatist bleating of the Kossacks and DUmmies, who would love to see America crushed in the War on Terror if it means "their team" takes power again. For this they pray, insofar as they pray for anything.

Looking back, I now realize that very early on I should have posted the Hindelang stuff (at least the publicly-sourced items) here and fed them to the press. It would have pissed the hell out of my friends in the campaign, but it would have taken the sting out of the accusations and removed the element of artful timing. I've learned, and the Pajamas Brigade is today a force to be reckoned with, so next time...

This Foley thing is more legitimate but the timing stinks on ice. Someone sat on those emails and instant messages so as to create a perfect October Surprise that, through well-honed and misleading phrasing and reporting, indicts an entire Party. I believe Hastert when he says he was unaware of the X-rated communications and knew only of a few awkwardly over-familiar emails, but it doesn't matter, as the reportage has blurred the timelines and gives him no wiggle room. Hindsight being 20:20, with a crucial election coming up, at the first hint of impropriety, Hastert should have quietly mounted an investigation of his own to be absolutely sure that the closet was empty of skeletons (and Foley, for that matter). Dumb that he didn't. Sad that he didn't.

[N. Beaujon]

Foley deserves what he's gotten and what is likely to come. But it seems increasingly plausible that the timed release of information - of ever-increasing seriousness - is part of a calculated campaign to keep the story in the news and inflict the maximum amount of political damage on the GOP.

I fear there is more to come besides Foley. They set up this "culture of corruption" thing with a very specific strategy in mind. Colin Powell, State of Denial, Foley, Abrahmoff is next.

[SengirV]

My point is that it appears some would rather shoot the messenger than face reality. There would be no problem if this sicko wouldn't have done what he did. And that was what I was trying to get across to the original poster, NOT as a thumb in the eye to everyone else on this thread.

[pawdoggie]

George H. W. Bush's "mistress" (1992), Bob Packwood's tell-tale kisses, Bob Livingston's affairs, George W. Bush's "DUI" (2000) and Dan Rather's phony National Guard Documents(2004). And that's just the stuff that got national attention. There's a lot of this crap that goes on at the local level. Of course the DU types and the DNC types are laughing up there sleeves. They've manufactured another "scandal" (and I'm talking about the "Hastert Knew everything" angle, not about Foley's peccadillos per se), and they've got conservatives and Republicans arguing with each other about it. It's a "two-fer".

[Prost1]

Living in the SF Bay Area, I hear the queers are going to march for Foley on Market St.

Yeah right! Queers marching for a republican - no way.

But if Foley were a dem, the queers would be all over this!