Common Sense

The buzz today is over the Foley scandal… still. This morning’s Washington Times editorial page led with an editorial titled “Resign, Mr. Speaker.” The fury is coming from the social conservatives who smell something like a cover up from the GOP House leadership. It’s looking like Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader Tom Boehner (who I don’t make fun of nearly often enough) and the head of their campaign committee, Rep. Tom Reynolds.

Apparently, they knew of these emails since last year, but instead of doing anything, they just told him to stop talking to that particular page. And they kept it quiet.

So now to the social conservatives, the very base of the Republican Party, it looks like their leaders care more about political power than keeping teenage boys out of reach of a congressman with a self-admitted “mental illness.” In fact, they called it “overfriendly” and left it at that. Anyone with kids, nieces or nephews, or even pets is suspicious of that word. Is someone is acting overfriendly toward my dog, I would sure as hell keep him away from animals. Yet, Hastert, Boehner and Reynolds all didn’t seem to think the guy sending these “naughty emails” posed much of a threat to these kids.

Frankly, it’s disgusting. The conservatives are right, there is a moral, ethical line that was crossed here. One not subject to interpretation or nuance. A sick man was sending lewd communications with children, and when he was caught, the powers that be did nothing to reprimand him or investigate the matter further. And the only logical reason why would be that it posed a risk to their own political power.

It is shameful and deplorable. I know that there are principled, honest conservatives out there and I hope to see them rise through the ranks quickly after this. If we must have a Republican Congress, then surely it must not be led by the men currently hold the reins of leadership. They simply are not worthy.