Mini-report

October 3, 2006

Today’s edition of quick-hits.

* ABC News is reporting: “Foley bombshell coming … Former congressman’s attorney to hold news conference in West Palm Beach, Fla.” I’m not sure what any of this means, but “bombshell” sounds interesting, doesn’t it? (It’s supposed to start in about 10 minutes or so. Someone should feel free to mention what happened in the comments section.)

* The first Mark Foley-related campaign ad of the season is up. It doesn’t pull any punches.

* The 16-year-old Louisiana kid, whose emails sparked the Foley scandal, is going through a very tough time right now, including facing personal threats.

* A pre-emptive lawsuit challenging the habeas provisions of Bush’s new detainee/torture law was filed yesterday at a federal court in Washington. I’m glad that didn’t take too long.

* Kim Jung Il wants another nuclear test. His last provocative move, in July, didn’t go too well.

* Foley 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. Wow.

* Today’s vote from the Republican-dominated National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seems like a major step backwards on union protections.

* Remember Bernie Kerik? He’s facing another federal criminal investigation. Remember when Bush thought, fairly recently, that Kerik was the most qualified person in America to head the Department of Homeland Security?

* Would you believe that Mark Foley went on a relentless crusade in June 2003 against child-oriented nudist camps in Florida? It’s true.

* A special interest group in Pennsylvania is going to spend $1 million to try and “soften” Rick Santorum’s image with women voters. (thanks to SKNM for the tip)

* As far as Santorum is concerned, the ’90s economy was awful. The poor guy just isn’t very smart.

* I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s impressed with “Veronica Mars,” the season premier of which will air tonight. (Any VM watchers out there?)

If none of these particular items are of interest, consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.

You had a good run of titles on the messages today CB. You were on a roll.

Lieberman had “the kiss truck” following him around on campaigns. What would the equivalent be to follow Bush around in his fund raising?

  • You had a good run of titles on the messages today CB. You were on a roll.

    Lieberman had “the kiss truck” following him around on campaigns. What would the equivalent be to follow Bush around in his fund raising?

  • Remember Bernie Kerik? He’s facing another federal criminal investigation.

    WHOO-HOOOOOOO! fuck him and tie this shit around the preznit’s and rudy g’s necks forever (i’m from NYC).

  • Whatever!!! Foley admits he is gay (duh) and that he was molested from age 13-15 by a priest. So that’s an excuse???? WTF!!!!! Useless.

  • Well, here it is, Baggers–the bombshell: FORMER CONGRESSMAN MARK FOLEY WAS MOLESTED BY A CLERGYMAN AS A TEENAGER AND IS GAY, ACCORDING TO HIS ATTORNEY. Pardon the screaming caps; that’s ABC’s doing. Oh, he is just another victim. Sad, sad, sad…

  • #1- If Santorum has the “kiss truck” following him around…what should follow Bush…The F***Truck.

  • Dick Morris was on Hannity today. He as much as read last rites for the Republican Party’s chances this year.

    Not surprisingly Morris mentioned that he has a book coming out in January called “Outrage’ or something like that. I don’t know if he said so but I presume that it explains why the Republicans got clobbered this time around.

    Hannity was almost in tears. He argued that Foley gate would help the Party’s chances this year.

    My guess is that Sean will have a very stiff drink when he gets home tonight.

  • The first Mark Foley-related campaign ad of the season is up. It doesn’t pull any punches.

    Great ad, especially for Ms. Wetterling given her background. Maybe this will put her over the top in her race.

  • Yesterday, Patricia Madrid’s (Madrid is running against Heather Wilson in NM’s 1st district) posted that Wilson was appointed to the Page Board in 2001. The press relaease goes on to point out how Wilson and other congressional repubs didn’t do anything. Standard stuff. It’s not the same as the Foley campaign ad mentioned above, but it’s good to see dems jumping on this across the country.

  • CB…VM is a must in our house! I know this is frivolous in comparison with the other tidbits, but you can’t be serious all the time – it’s too damn depressing.

  • As I look up the definition, a minor is anyone under 18, so he’s claiming not to have molested any of the currently-mentioned pages in person.

    Since a number of the IM’s refer to meetings Foley is trying to set up, I’m not sure what this about other than laying the ground for legal defense. Assuming that the IM’s are genuine, it’s not plausible that there was never any in-person sex.

  • Foiled again…

    You only get one chance to make a first impression.
    Foley should have fallen to the floor weeping for Christ’s forgiveness.

    Who’s coaching this guy?
    A libertarian lefty lawyer?

    Play the Jesus card man…

    Not the Pope card…
    Not the scientology card…
    Not the alcoholic card…

    The Jesus card… for crying out loud.

  • Bombshell = Dud

    Oh gods, are we supposed to feel any sympathy for Foley because he was a molested as a teenager? I’d say for every person I’ve met who hasn’t been molested/abused as child I have met four who have. I think this works out statistically, which means the majority of the population should be slimy little douche balls and whaddaya know? They ain’t. So stick your bombshell up yer butt and do jumping jacks.

    And he’s officially come out. Oh, does baby want a cookie? He’s still – at best – the D.O.B who gets a kick from bothering a kid after the kid says s/he’s underage; The creep who calls you in the dead of night, night after night, and is obviously in the middle of a wank session; The pig-boss from hell who makes questionable comments to the employees because he’s the boss and they aren’t. Also, since this little announcement will unleash every crack-brained bigot on anyone who fits the fundy facist profile of a “queer,” he gets my vote for arsehole du jour.

    I’ve known a number of recovering addicts and when they reach a certain point they will say part of their problem is a craving for attention. I’m not sure how a PRESS CONFERENCE will aid Foley’s recovery but it sure will stroke his ego. Gah!

    However, I must note that it was a wise move on Foley’s part to check into rehab. For those of you who have not visited a friend in (or been in) one of these places, they’re pretty damn secure.

    Two questions: Do you think the fuckwits threatening the unknown page will be chased down and brought to justice or is Hastert calling from a pay phone? Also, how did people find out who he is?

    p.s. The words Soften and Santorum in the same sentence make me feel unclean.

  • This is called the “stay out of jail method”. What’s funny about it is there is ample evidence he isn’t an alcoholic, and even if he wants to use that excuse, well, he was IMing from the house floor, so either he was drunk on the job or he wasnt and alcohol didnt play a part in this behavior. The other funny thing is how he is willing to say it was a Catholic priest that ruined him early on, but wont name the person. Wonder why…maybe because he doesnt exist? And if he does, 40 years later you are going to use that as an excuse, while steadfastly saying through the other side of your mouth that Im not making excuses.

    This is truly the circus of the absurd. But you can bet your ass, with this defense, he does probation only. So, hey, why not, right? He’s already a disgrace, why not add bulls–t artist to the list of character flaws.

  • So the “pre-emptive strike” goes to the Republican scumball masquerading as a judge who found last year that Congress did give the President the power to imprison “enemy combatants” for the duration of the GWoT. This “pre-emptive strike” is seen as a good thing, being thrown to a toad who we know will rule against it?

    And then the scumballs continue with their evisceration of union organizing rights.

    There is only one way the Republican Party is going to be stopped: when a stake is driven through it. Stop them here, they’re doing it over there, or over there, or over there…

    We’re going to need to be de-Republicaned the way Germany was de-Nazified.

  • Here’s something knocking around (open thread I guess). It’s this Frist-Afghan-Taliban-in-the=government hting. I’m registering quite a passion about it which, being not so usual, is making me wonder. You know, when you get a big one on the line — I don’t fish, but the metaphor seems useful — you have (I imagine) a hard job winding it in — it goes all over the place, and maybe you lose it, or.. I donno what. So, when you try to rod in a strong new feeling about something it doesn’t always land in the best way. So you go back to it, and see if you can make it look better, more appetizing / convincing. You don’t just want to win an argument, you want to do justice to your vision which, in the first flush, can be quite an elusive affair.

    So. This Frist-Afghanistan-Taliban thing. You see, I’m amazed and impressed that not only a Republican but actually an American is saying what he is reported to have said. You know, we’ve all had to put up with Americans going on and on about al Qaeda, Taliban, war on terror, bin Laden, national security, etc ad nauseam for 5 years now and, while we truly sympathise with your plight and fears, we do occasionally just wish you would give it a rest now and again.

    You see, I think it is enemy-envy you are suffering from. You had the amazing experience, first time since the War of Independence, of having your native territory actually struck from outside (Pearl Harbour was a military base which is not the same thing), and they weren’t even foreign planes. Think of almost any other country in the world — Britain, France, Japan, China, Russia, most of the African countries, all the Middle Eastern countries, Israel, Tibet, all the European countries — they’ve all experienced damage, attacks or occupations by foreign powers and enemies, all within the last fifty or sixty years, i.e within living memory. America hasn’t had that. Subconsciously I think you feel deprived of the opportunity to prove your manhood in defensive prowess, which is why you have to pick fights all over the place in other people’s countries where you’ve no right to be.

    So, when one of your number says “let’s help these guys get back on their feet after we’ve been kicking the living daylights out of them” I think “Hey, good on you man”. First decent thing I’ve heard for a long time.

    To help you get a handle on my point here, turn the tables. You are hyper-paranoid about security and defense. Imagine, though, that the PRC lost patience with your trade deficit and decided to exert some pressure (not inconceivable in, say, 50 years’ time): a few surgical strikes to soften you up in preparation for the ground troops. Not nice, really, is it?

    Well, without too gigantic a leap of imagination that is what it is like for people in Afghanistan and Iraq right now. Is it so difficult, then, to understand why they resist, that there is a resistance? Wouldn’t it be strange if they didn’t? Do we condemn the French, the Dutch, the Danish, the Swedes, the Poles for resisting the Nazis?

    aha, thingy’s law (can’t remember his name). Get my point?

  • Nicely put Agent Orange….

    Here is one for ya’all…

    On the day that this goes public:


    Maf54: ok..i better go vote..did you know you would have this effect on me
    Teen: lol I guessedush
    Teen: ya go vote…I don’t want to keep you from doing our job
    Maf54: can I have a good kiss goodnight
    Teen: :-*
    Teen:

    Bush goes public with this…


    President Bush, on a campaign swing in the West, is telling voters that the Democratic Party is weak-kneed on national security and shouldn’t be trusted to hold the reins of Congress.

    Talk about trying to pee into a hurricane…

  • Sorry folks, you are all still missing the smoking gun. Alexander, Hastert and any other adult who had a “care” responsibility for this young page and failed to report “suspected child abuse” to the proper authorities is subject to prosecution under the law. Why is it that politicians think they do not have to follow the law? Oh, I remember, Bush taught them!

  • Goldilocks – I don’t get your point at all actually.

    “You know, we’ve all had to put up with Americans going on and on about al Qaeda, Taliban, war on terror, bin Laden, national security, etc ad nauseam for 5 years now and, while we truly sympathise with your plight and fears, we do occasionally just wish you would give it a rest now and again.”

    First, this is generally an American politics website so not sure what your gripe is in that regard as we appear to be involved in 2 wars at least ostensibly involving al Qaeda, bin Laden, etc. Second, if you’re lumping me in with Bush and his supporters, please don’t. I despise every thing they stand for to the very core of my being. Third, I don’t need your condescending sympathy. I was there on 9/11 and the people that did it should be brought to justice no matter how long it takes. They are criminals and murderers and we owe that to the victim’s survivors. Apparently you think there is a 5yr statute of limitations on moral outrage. I disagree.

    Your comments on “enemy-envy” also make no sense. Yes, what a glorious fraternity to enter into: the countries that have been attacked/bombed. To the contrary, I would think that every other country would want to be in America’s (until 9/11) position of NOT having been attacked or bombed.

    Moreover, the countries that you named from WWII that were invaded by Nazi Germany, they all fought back (and even more so once the U.S. got involved). You seem to want to engage in revisionist history about the response of countries that have been attacked. So please don’t equate European resistance to Nazi Germany to the Taliban resistance. That is a morally bankrupt position.

    Ultimately, to some extent the outrage of Frist making such comments has to do with the hypocrisy of it all. If a Dem had said it, fuhgeddabowtit.

  • Most important bombshell from the press conference: Foley will hold a press conference of his own when he gets out of rehab. Which is expected to be in a month. Which is the week before the elections.

    Republicans are so screwed if they don’t talk him out of it.

  • * Would you believe that Mark Foley went on a relentless crusade in June 2003 against child-oriented nudist camps in Florida? It’s true.

    Well… Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi (what becomes Jove, does not become an ox). Or, as Poles say:”what’s allowed to a voivoda, is not (allowed) to you, stinker”

    If Foley was tied to his Congressional seat in DC, reduced to watching *words* on his cell-phone, why should others — much less exalted than he — be permitted to see the “real deal”?

  • The first Mark Foley-related campaign ad of the season is up. It doesn’t pull any punches.

    Great ad. It’s good to see a Democrat who can react quickly to the news and isn’t afraid to hit hard. We need more candidates like this.

  • Foley 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. Wow.

    Maybe that should read: “Foley interrupted Internet sex with a high school student and former Congressional page to vote on the floor of the House in 2003.”

    Now that would be noteworthy.

  • Foley,FoleyFoley…..

    “All Means to attract and distract….”- Michael Franti

    Are we being distracted? have we been thrown a bone to distract us from Repub deeds already done, for image improvement, or has Rove got part 2 planned for us. Spin this to show how the Reight is tough on crime and cheaters blah blah …
    Do they have an “October suprise”??

  • From Human Events via Think Progress.

    If Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.-R.I.) continues thwarting a Senate vote to confirm John Bolton as the permanent U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the White House plans to make a second recess appointment of the embattled diplomat. According to an administration source who requested anonymity, if the Senate does not vote on Bolton before his current recess appointment expires December 18, the President will again name Bolton to the post during Congress’ post-election recess. In order for Bolton to be paid, however, he would also have to be appointed to a different position while his formal title would have to be changed. “Obviously, we would prefer a Senate vote and the almost-certain confirmation for John Bolton,” said the source.

  • It would seem that Google plans on automating the blogging process.

    Imagine being able to check instantly whether or not statements made by politicians were correct. That is the sort of service Google Inc. boss Eric Schmidt believes the Internet will offer within five years.

  • I love Veronica Mars, and enjoyed tonight’s season premiere. Yes, it’s terrible how the Rethugs are ruining our country, and I’m in almost constant despair about it, but if I couldn’t at least occasionally get a little escape through entertainment, I’d go mad.

  • All of the posts in this thread are the reason I visit this site so damn much.

    p.s. The words Soften and Santorum in the same sentence make me feel unclean.

    When I read that, I wanted to give myself a labatomy with a fork …

    but then I remembered that I’d have to start voting Republican afterward.

    **insert rim shot here**

    *Note: Blatantly ripped off from another poster here whose name I can’t remember.

  • Anybody else find it interesting that KDrum is almost wholly ignoring the Foley follies?

    A mean really… a quaint public service announcement?

    I guess in some inverted market place that might be called a loss leader… like for instance, headquaters for the Republican Party.

    But Crikey Crikey…. Doesn’t he think his commenters might want to exercise their wit on Hasert’s exposed arse?

    Note: When you finally get a chance to play pin the tail on the Elephant…. don’t demure.

  • have we been thrown a bone to distract us from Repub deeds already done,

    If this is an intentional distraction, then the end is near for Rove and the administration. They absolutely have to retain control of Congress to avoid investigation and eventually prison time. Republicans in Congress are seeing their reputations nose-dive, which is far from the best way to win elections.

    For example, Reynolds is toast, and he’s the one running the re-election committee. That’s hardly the type of person you would sacrifice for a brief respite from bad news.

  • Ok, Homer (#22),

    — Ultimately, to some extent the outrage of Frist making such comments has to do with the hypocrisy of it all. I’ll start here and work up. Even when your enemy does something good, in my books, you give credit to it. After all, enemies become friends and friends become enemies — both Iraq and Taliban are cases in point. What we, and I’m down the line with you on “I despise every thing they stand for to the very core of my being” so please forgive me if I feel drawn to your club, have been advocating is a phased withdrawal from Iraq and the apprehension of a criminal in Afghanistan. Now, when one of their gang through acknowledging the reality of a situation advocates a change of policy involving withdrawal we mock him. That, to me, looks childish, is disingenuous, and will ultimately be counter-productive.

    — So please don’t equate European resistance to Nazi Germany to the Taliban resistance. Why not? The details of the situation are different. Afghanistan has been invaded and pulverized three times now in the last fifty years, which wasn’t the case in Europe, so their ‘excuse’ for resistance is even greater. Just because a Saudi Arabian guy (and family chum of the Bush gang) holed up in Afghanistan and took a pot-shot at you doesn’t authorise you to beat up a whole country.

    — To the contrary, I would think that every other country would want to be in America’s (until 9/11) position of NOT having been attacked or bombed. Absolutely. So why not set a better example?

    — They are criminals and murderers and we owe that to the victim’s survivors. If that helps, fair enough; but go after criminals and murderers, don’t invade whole countries that have nothing to do with your injury.

    — First, this is generally an American politics website so not sure what your gripe is in that regard as we appear to be involved in 2 wars at least ostensibly involving al Qaeda, bin Laden, etc. So your wars don’t involve anyone else? What kind of fantasy reality do you guys live in? The whole world is sucked into your (= Bush gang’s) criminal escapades. It’s not just a computer game. 100,000+ Iraqi civilians killed and you claim the right to inflict such disproportionate retribution on a people who had nothing to do with your split lip? Get a perspective, please.

  • I saw an interesting nuggest in the WaPo 10/4. Tracy Henke is leaving for the private sector. She is the one that reduced the homeland security funds to NY and DC. Anyone want to guess how much she will be making?

  • I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s impressed with “Veronica Mars,”

    Best news of the year! (of course, it’ll take months to get to the UK, as usual :/ )

    Oh, and a big fat finger to the Foley creep – ‘I was abused’ isn’t a reason or an excuse: who could believe him, plus, who cares?

  • “Any VM watchers out there?)”

    Oh yeah. Though the “class warior” stuff has definitely been toned down from the first season.

  • Goldilocks,

    don’t invade whole countries that have nothing to do with your injury.

    Agreed, especially in the context of Iraq. In the context of Afghanistan, however, the Taliban clearly provided support for Al Qaeda. I have no problem taking out the Taliban. I just wish we’d finished the job instead of stupidly invading Iraq.

  • Goldilocks #36

    Not sure if you’ll see this since it’ll be archived, but sorry to say I still don’t get it. As I indicated in my #22, please don’t lump me in with Bush and his crowd. I agree with you on a phased withdrawal from Iraq and arresting a criminal in Afghanistan. I never said I didn’t. You said essentially that Frist should be applauded for saying that we should make nice-nice with the Taliban. That’s absurd. Even if I hear some shifting of their fundamentalist hard-line viewpoints, those who are culpable remain culpable. If Foley says he’s really, really, really sorry, should we say ok and let him come back to work. I would suggest no. Same with the Taliban. They committed crimes against humanity and should be prosecuted as such. And obtw, I feel the same way about Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld.

    As for equating the WWII resistance with the Taliban resistance, on some basic level they are both resisting a foreign invader, I’ll give you that. But I won’t cede the moral high ground. Carrying the analogy equates America’s invasion of Afghanistan with Hitler’s invasion of Poland. I don’t think so. Now I’ll be the first to call Bush a fascist, but that doesn’t change the justifiable basis for the invasion of Afghanistan.

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