Politics and the Page System

Politics being what it is really does prove that Hastert and the Rethugs-in-charge are idiots. What topic is most likely to have excessive political backlash if there is even a slight wiff of impropriety? Anything to do with kids. This whole Foley scandal would have been wiped out if Hastert and the "Ethics" committee had over-reacted. At least in over-reaction they would have held the high ground on the topic.

The BoGlobe says this isn't a place for politics, but that is exactly where it's going.

After all, Foley was -- until he resigned his congressional seat last Friday -- co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. Knowing that Foley held that position, Hastert and the other leaders should have realized that the reputations of the caucus and the House as a whole were at stake. Instead of simply telling the congressman to cease contact with the boy, House leaders should have investigated further to determine whether Foley had had inappropriate communications or contacts with other House pages. While the boy's parents did not seek stronger action against Foley, that should not have kept the leadership from reviewing his relations with current and past pages more closely.

Such an inquiry would likely have turned up the more explicit messages , which date back to 2003, and House leaders could have taken stronger action. The leaders' failure to take the initial revelations more seriously should be investigated both by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee, which has a poor record of holding House members to a high standard.

It probably would be prudent to have an investigation. Hastert, if he has nothing to hide, should be the one pushing it ahead. I should find out more on the Ethics committee and see how these complaints are handled. Looks like the committee leadership dropped the ball as well. It's hard to resolve a committee on ethics when politicians are involved. (That goes for both sides of the aisle.)

And just a note from a suspicious mind, isn't the timing of this scandal rather interesting? It may be coincidental, but that strikes me as a naive point considering the environment of party politics and the chronology of the coming election.