You can't be serious?! Once the republican leadership found out about the sexually explicit IM's they immediately asked for Foley's resignation and also requested an investigation to be conducted, not just into Foley's conduct but who knew about and/or kept copies of the IM's rather than turning them over to the proper authorities. That puts dems in the hot seat because it appears the IM's came from groups/people affiliated with them.
There are now a multitude of bloggers investigating this entire situation (think Dan Rather). So far they've learned that the emails and IM's were exchanged after they finished their stint as pages, in the case of the emails it's the boy who seems to have initiated them. There's also a ton of evidence that the emails have been altered. While some on the left are trying to make these out to be simple changes made by a spell checker on one of the emails the subject has been changed from (no subject) to email #2. Software has come a long way but I don't know any spell checker that can change the actual subject line.
Then there's the IM's. In the comments at Passionate America blog, Wild Bill provided some additional information about the IM's:
"The emails and the IMs are not the same to the same person. I have proof. One of the pepole Mark Foley emailed is now 20 to 21 years of age. The IMs started with that person a few weeks before he turned 18 (Feb 23, 2003). Foley did know the person was underage and he should be in deep trouble for that, but the alleged contact in San Diego happened after the page was 18. Foley is still a piece of shit, and he should have resigned, but to blame Hastert and pretend that the emails and the IMs were the same thing is completely dishonest on the Dems part."
Bloggers aren't doing this to benefit Foley. He's a creep and a predator and deserves whatever he's got coming to him, but it's disgusting for the dems & the media to try to drag decent people down with him, especially when those others are doing their best to cooperate, to do the right thing. Those that withheld the IM's to score political points need to be exposed as well. To have information that could potentially save a young person from being molested is aiding and abetting.
Cindie
My spell checker checks to the spelling in the subject line.
It appears as if you are expecting another Dan Rather incident. As I mentioned, there is no clear evidence of that yet. Your evidence is speculative and circumstantial at the moment.
So it appears as if a wait and see attitude is in order.
I'll make popcorn.