Foleygate - Day 7 UPDATE

Via the New York Times:

History suggests that once a political party achieves sweeping power, it will only be a matter of time before the power becomes the entire point. Policy, ideology, ethics all gradually fall away, replaced by a political machine that exists to win elections and dispense the goodies that come as a result. The only surprise in Washington now is that the Congressional Republicans managed to reach that point of decayed purpose so thoroughly, so fast.

That House leaders knew Representative Mark Foley had been sending inappropriate e-mail to Capitol pages and did little about it is terrible. It is also the latest in a long, depressing pattern: When there is a choice between the right thing to do and the easiest route to perpetuation of power, top Republicans always pick wrong.

Yep. That's about it.

UPDATE: 3:55 pm It turns out that Foley wasn't just engaging in 'inappropriate activities' while relaxing at home, he was doing it in the House Chamber.

Via The Blotter:

Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

The vote? HR 1559, Emergency War Time supplemental appropriations. Nice to know that Republicans take our security seriously...

This is a weird parallel to the problem a wingnut ex-coworker of mine had with the whole Lewinski thing. He said he only cared because it was in the oval office. If it had been somewhere else, it wouldn't have mattered. It bothered him that somebody got a blowjob in the same room where his hero Ronald Reagan "saved the free world" took naps.

For those who haven't had lunch and/or aren't planning on eating dinner, here's the transcript of Foley's, uh, conversations...

Mark Foley Republicans