The Foley Flap
Some have posited that the Democrats might be able to take back the House and the Senate, thanks to the scandal surrounding former rep. Foley. And as usual, the scandal involves nookie. I'm glad to see people in a "throw the bums out" mood. Most interesting is that it's conservative Christians who are up in arms over this. However pleased I am to share a common goal with Red State America, I am surprised that something like this was the last straw.
Don't get me wrong. In no way do I defend pedophilia (I'll let the Republican spin-meisters try to do that). What Foley did is illegal (ironically, under legislation he co-sponsored), and he'll hopefully go to jail for it. But considering what else Republicans have done over the past six years, it really is small potatoes in comparison.
For starters, the neocons senselessly killed 100,000+ civilians for no good reason. That fact right there should get "pro-life" people ready to throw Republicans out of power. But apparently, Iraq was fine with them, because Muslims don't count as real people or something.
Also, these same neocons have done a great deal of harm to the environment, and set our ecological policies back 30 years. But again, fundamentalist Christians don't see a problem here, either. After all, the Rapture is coming soon, and the whole world will be destroyed, so what's the purpose of saving it?
And this has held true on almost every matter that should have gotten more people (including conservatives) enraged about the Republican leadership. Fiscally responsibility? Well, money is the root of all evil. Hurricane Katrina? Well, they were poor anyway, so it worked out very well for them. Valerie Plame? Uppity bitch. Failure to catch Osama? Well, Bush isn't concerned about him, so no one should be. Torture and disregarding civil liberties? Well, the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Constitution are both pre-9/11 documents, so they don't matter anymore.
But Foley's attempt at seducing a boy, plus the attempt of other Republicans (especially a certain Speaker of the House) to cover it up, may just be the last straw.
Truly, I welcome conservatives to the fold in recognizing Republicans in power as a cadre of corrupt assholes. It just strikes me as odd that it took this long.