"Pelosi had access to the instant messages for THREE YEARS.
That is the place for your focus."
I disagree. A man in his 50's trying to pork a kid is where my focus is and should be. Holding the messages for 3 years is a relevant point but it does not in any way diminish the type of sicko, pervert predator Foley is.
Then why wasn't NANCY PELOSI the one out there confronting Mark Foley, as she (or her staff, at any rate) had the information, and did not pass it along to the revelant parties.
That action would have had nothing to do with the politics of the matter. It was conscience and good manners that should have dictated the actions. But in this case Nancy Pelosi held back the information, so it could be played for partisan advantage at a time when the impact would be most sharply felt.
Had this information been shared in a timely manner with Dennis Hastert, Mark Foley would have been asked to leave his office long ago, and nothing would have been said. But parents of one of the pages involved wanted to protect the page's privacy, and that sure was a lasting safeguard. So no more was done. The Republican leadership of the House thought the problem was resolved.
Foley is out, and criminal investigation is under way. That is done.
NOW we need to know if HOLDING THE INSTANT MESSAGES FOR THREE YEARS WHILE CHILDREN ARE BEING SEXUALLY SOCLICITED IS A CRIMINAL ACT.
I know if any of those who had knowledge were lawyers, they had an AFFIRMATIVE DUTY to report the child endagerment as a matter of bar ethics. (especially if the y follow the ABA model code.)