Posted by
Bruce Armstrong on Sunday, October 01, 2006 6:08:00 PM
The specific details of the Foley case are still coming to light, but one thing is clear: At best, the Republican House leadership soft-pedaled the allegations against Foley (this may have been due in part to a reluctance of the page's family to be involved). At worst, Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Boehner covered up Foley's misconduct and then publicly lied about it afterwards.
Ed over at
Captain's Quarters sums up my feelings pretty well:
What makes me angry and disappointed is the denial by Hastert that he knew anything about Foley's issues on Friday. Recall that Majority Leader John Boehner had already told the press that he told Hastert about the earlier e-mails months ago, and after Hastert's statement, Boehner had to retract that. Only after Reynolds released his statement did Hastert acknowledge that he knew about Foley's earlier issues. It's the dishonesty and the butt-covering that I find unacceptable in a House Speaker, who is two heartbeats away from the Presidency.Dennis Hastert should resign as Speaker of the House. John Boehner (who had ethical problems before the Foley matter developed) should resign as House Majority Leader. Of course, voters may make the decision for them in another month or so and turn the House back over to the Democrats.
Remember: It wasn't the Watergate break-in and previous events that brought down Richard Nixon, it was the subsequent cover-up and - that infamous phrase - "the appearance of impropriety."