The Reps are in trouble in the House and it has nothing to do with the overblown Woodward book (geez, you me to tell us everyone doesn’t agree on everything in the Federal government Bob? Whodathunkit) or with the Iraq war. It has to do with the loss of honor for the Congress that is being displayed and which mirrors Clinton’s lack of honor for the oval office. The Reps are no more scandalous than the dems, in fact I would say much of their current problems come from copying Democrat actions and activities from when they ran Congress. But the Randy “Duke” Cunningham and Bob Ney scandals on birbery were the first signs of trouble (they followed the role models of Bob Torricelli and the infamous House Post Office scam of the 1980’s).

Again, this is not a Rep only problem (Menendez and Jefferson come to mind), but we expected the Reps to behave better than Dems when confronted with these issues. And in some ways they have – Republican Ney resigned why Democrat Jefferson (cool $100 grand in the ice box) is running for re-election.

But the revelations about Foley and his sick acts is stunning. Here we have a child predator in the midst of Congress, heading efforts on expoloited and abused children, and the House leadership does nothing about this man for months? The man knew all the methodologies for finding and trapping sexual predators, so he was in a unique position to know best how to avoid detection. But when he was detected his ‘comrades’ didn’t take this dangerous person out of commission, they hid it?

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was notified early this year of inappropriate e-mails from former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to a 16-year-old page, a top GOP House member said yesterday — contradicting the speaker’s assertions that he learned of concerns about Foley only last week.

Hastert did not dispute the claims of Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.), and his office confirmed that some of Hastert’s top aides knew last year that Foley had been ordered to cease contact with the boy and to treat all pages respectfully.

Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, became the second senior House Republican to say that Hastert has known of Foley’s contacts for months, prompting Democratic attacks about the GOP leadership’s inaction. Foley abruptly resigned his seat Friday.

The small good news out of most of this is it is Republican leaders taking the lead in condemning the act of hiding Folely’s actions. And we all know the Dems are just being political opportunists. They would like to see the efforts of terrorists made easier by exposing our national security for political gain, so their new found interest in protecting America verses running it are a sham. But the Reps have no excuses. They took oaths to protect the people and its laws. And those who hid Foley’s crimes covered up crimes. I cannot see how the conservative base can be expected to energetically get out and vote when we have these actions.

At least now maybe it is clear why Hastert and others ran to William Jefferson’s defense against when his office was raided by the FBI, on court order, for evidence of bribery. I guess the House leaders have become above the law in their minds. Not a good sign at all. People forget Monica Lewinski was an under 18 intern when Bill Clinton exploited her. But the liberal base seems able to throw all that aside and still support their side in cold, calculating regularity. Conservatives do not have this cuthroat gift to allow the exploitation of someone for political gain. At least I think that is the difference between the two bases. But one thing is for sure, even this devout conservative independent is questioning why to put in effort for a party that hides someone like Foley. I am now more against the Dems (they will surrender to l Qaeda as sure as the Sun rises in the morning) than I am for Reps. The only saving grace in all this is the steady and honorable President Bush – who deserves History’s accolades