EDITORIAL – Irony, hypocrisy plague GOP

Republicans were caught off guard last week when a story broke accusing Rep. Mark Foley,… Republicans were caught off guard last week when a story broke accusing Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., of engaging in indecent behavior with congressional pages. But to be fair, there is no reason for the shock, as plenty of people knew what was going on for months, if not years before.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of recent events, let’s start from the beginning.

In 1994, Foley was first elected to the House, where he served as the chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. Ironic? By 2001, a Republican staff member was reportedly warning pages about Foley, according to ABC News. Apparently someone knew what was going on – five years ago.

In 2003, Foley exchanged improper instant messages with an underage boy who previously served as a page in Congress. And that’s not all. Foley had been denouncing rumors for months regarding his sexual practices, calling the rumors “revolting.” Three months later, he dropped out of the Florida Senate race, citing his father’s poor heath, in spite of being considered a front-runner.

That brings us to summer 2005, when Foley exchanged e-mails with a 16-year-old Louisiana boy. Republican leaders considered them to be “overfriendly,” and the boy’s parents were concerned. The parents contacted Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., with copies of the e-mails. Alexander contacted various staffs in Washington, including the chairman of the House Page board, Rep. Johns Shimkus, R-Ill., and the staff of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

Hastert and Shimkus spoke with Foley about the e-mails, and both parties agreed that Foley would discontinue any contact with the boy. Word spread throughout the Republican Party, and when House Majority Leader, Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, and Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-N.Y., the chairman of the Republican Party’s Congressional campaign committee, received copies of the e-mails, they asked Hastert about the situation. Hastert assured them that everything was taken care of.

Last week, media outlets obtained copies of the 2003 e-mails, and the story broke. Foley quickly resigned from the House and checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse as an FBI investigation into his improprieties ensued. The Florida Republican Party replaced Foley with another candidate in the November elections, although his name will remain on the ballot. On Monday, Hastert called the inappropriate e-mails and IMs “vile and repugnant,” according to ABC News. He also mentioned that he didn’t see the information until Sept. 29. Hastert’s comments are politically motivated and too little too late, as it is clear that he was aware of the situation well before the media broke the story. Couldn’t something have been done months, if not years ago?

In the wake of Foley’s improprieties, the Republican Party is scrambling to pick up the pieces and salvage its image as the authority on moral behavior before the upcoming midterm elections. Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for resignations, including the conservative Washington Times, which is asking Hastert to step down as speaker because of his involvement.

It’s only right that the people who had knowledge of Foley’s actions should step down. While this isn’t necessarily a partisan issue – anyone who engages children in such a way or tries to cover it up should be held accountable for his actions – it’s just so ironic. The Republican Party, while trying to legislate morality, is harboring a pervert.

While the Republican Party is so eager to project its morality on to Americans – from gay marriage bans to ceasing stem cell research – some of its high-placed members aren’t even capable of following existing laws.