Hastert Stands by Handling of Foley Case

ABC NEWS ^ | 10/2/2006 | ANDREW TAYLOR

[wagglebee]

I hate to say it, but I don't think Hastert is going to last the week.

[msnimje]

Why? The FBI looked at the same thing Hastert did and saw no reason to investigate further.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Worst headline of the day, from Wash. Post
" The Fix's House Line: Foley's Seat Cracks Top 25"

[MNJohnnie]

I hate to say it but it seems most Freepers still vastly overestimate the power of the junk media. Hasterd was just on Rush's show. He totally nukes all this nonsese being "reported" as "news". Just another example of the Drive By Media in action.

[Zhangliqun]

What am I missing? Is it the job of the Speaker to monitor every Congressman's e-mail?

[wagglebee]

It doesn't matter. His position is becoming increasingly untenable and the media will keep on this until he caves or gets destroyed in five weeks. If the GOP has any shot at keeping the House, all of the "lightning rods" need to be eliminated. The only way I see that Hastert can stay is to completely disprove allegations that he knew about the severity of things, and I don't see him being able to do that.

As things stand now, barring a miracle, Hastert won't be Speaker in January no matter what. Why not quit now if it can save the majority?

[phillyfanatic]

He stays and it is time for all, every stripe of Pub, conservs, libertarians, even so called moderates, to stand up against Dem use of scandal and smears. Foley is gone. Hastert dealt with it the best he could. He knew nothing of IM's but someone held them for 3 years./ A Dem operative perhaps??? I am tired of Pubs resigning over things that Dems honor and never resign for. Foley was punished and he resigned. Something Dems never do to their own.

[wagglebee]

See what I wrote in #7.

Hastert's only chance of staying is to disprove every allegation. And unfortunately, he has to do that with the Drive By Media, doing it on Rush's show won't cut it and it might make things worse.

[msnimje]

His position is becoming increasingly untenable and the media will keep on this until he caves or gets destroyed in five weeks.

The MSM does not have that kind of power UNLESS YOU GIVE IT TO THEM. Hastert will not submit to the MSM.

[K-oneTexas]

Or, as another thread posted to News (I think) related ... the House asked the FBI to stop that they would handle the matter internally. True it came from the MSM outlets, but it causes one to wonder. Did the FBI do nothing cause there was nothing there ... or did they not complete their investigation.

When Speaker Hastert spoke on Bortz this morning it sounded like (true I didn't hear all of it fully) that Boehner handled it. If we're pointing fingers, well just like a resent post in this thread ... Hastert will not last the week.

If an organization like CREW, a partisan political one, got the emails/IM's from a House employee (as another thread about someone on SPAN talking) then that's not freedom of the press, as CREW is not a media outlet.

This whole thing stinks, all the way around hitting both parties. But rape, murder and other amoral (to say the least) things are common place and accepted by Democrats.

[kellynla]

supposedly, according to Hastert, the parents complained about the emails coming from Foley to their son,
Foley was read the "riot act" and said he would cease.
Foley didn't and the proverbial manure has hit the fan!

[palmer]

Hastert's only chance of staying is to disprove every allegation.

Allegations of what? He saw an innocuous email and didn't immediately ask for 3 year old instant messages that he didn't know existed? The media has created this frenzy in order to entice people like you to split the republicans and you have fallen for it.

[massgopguy]

I thought that was an Impeachable offense.

[tiki]

As I have continually said, Republicans are supposed to be some kind of demi-gods, all-knowing and all-seeing and responsible for everything that goes wrong but getting credit for nothing that goes right.

As far as the MSM having power, evidentally they do, just read what a lot of Freepers are saying.

IMO, this was orchestrated by Dims and they are the ones who withheld the information until now.

[KJC1]

Hastert isn't relying on the media to disprove things, he called for a complete investigation!

[what's up]

I hate to say it, but I don't think Hastert is going to last the week

Nonsense.

[Old North State]

So why doesn't the speaker announce an investigation into these messages, finding out who got them, how they got them, and why they sat on them so long? Hastert can't do anything about messages he is unaware of. Also, the "bar" for this type of behavior was set by the Democrats in the Gary Studs case. He was censored for sodomizing a page but allowed to keep his seat(no pun intended). He should continue to remind people of how the democrats handled that case as the precedent, and how quickly in comparison Foley was removed.

[what's up]

The only way I see that Hastert can stay is to completely disprove allegations that he knew about the severity of things,

Why is it up to him to disprove something there is no evidence of?

You're as bad as the Democrats.

[Glenn]

Hastert said his top aides and Rep. John Shimkus, a fellow Illinois Republican overseeing the page program, acted appropriately by trying to resolve the matter as an internal GOP problem rather than mounting a more formal investigation that would have involved Democrats.

Fire them.