That is frightening. A true predator circling around his prey. I would be ticked if I were the parents of these pages.

Alright already. Heard enough. when you have some facts and the man is in jail it will be another story to write about. Until then its is DEAD.

Strange bmw ideas... hope that they better upgrades their cars :(

Has anyone ask Speaker Hastert when he first became aware of Follie's night time visits to the Page Dorm?

i m not for petafier, but i would like to know how law can charge a under 17 as a adult for a craim but when is sexual she he, are chidren,not adult.

Dene: This may be difficult for a "petafier" to understand but before a minor is charged as an adult they must be cerified as an adult by the court system. I don't know if it would work this way, but before you decide to have sex with a minor, maybe you could have a judge certify them as an adult for you. I think that would go over quite well, ehh?

Bush's crazy belief that because he says it makes it so is clearly contagious. David, above, thinks he can declare Foley/Hastert/Reynolds/Boehner/Simkus-gate dead, when it's just begun. I can't wait to see how many of the Party of Nixon are removed from office by this!

Not sure what the individual "dene" is saying, since that is not clearly English, but Foley did not engage in pedophilia, number one, it was ephebophilia. There is a difference, psychologically and according to the DSM-IV, which is used by psych professionals to assist in the diagnoses of psychoses. Number two, the age of consent in DC is 16 years old, not 17, and not 18. That, therefore, suggests that this whole scandal has little to do with sex and more to do with harassment and predation.

I think they should do away with the pages altogether. Let the congressmen/women do their own running around (for work issues) not cruising for sex. They make waaay too much for doing waaay too little anyway! And no, it's not enough already. It will NEVER be enough - that why this country is a mess - because of attitudes like yours!

Steve - good post. And you're right - the issue is harassment, not sex.

Regardless of whether it was strictly illegal, it was certainly predatory behavior by a House member that proclaimed to be protecting children, as well as a member of a party that continuously stands on a pedestal of supposed moral superiority.

This whole thing - including the obvious conspiratorial coverups - shows them for the "party-first-constituent-second" hypocrits that they are. Whether or not anyone goes to jail for this, the damage is done, and the voters will not be fooled by self-serving legal minutiae. In fact - it will alienate them further.

When in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging...

Much is being said of the age-0f-consent in the DC. Is the age-of-consent in DC only for residents of the district or for visitors as well? Foley is a resident of Florida. The boys he was involved with were residents of other states. Some state age-of-consent laws apply not only to acts committed within its boundaries but also acts committed by its residents when outside the state.

What of the Mann Act? (In 1910, Congress passed the Mann Act which makes it a federal crime to transport individuals under the age of 18 across state lines to engage in any sexual activity.) Did Foley, through his congressional position, have any input into the selection of pages? If so, could he not be charged with a violation. The original intent of the law was to stop prostitutes from being moved from one locale to another. It now also applies to an adult taking a *consensual* minor to another state. Penalties can include being fined for $5,000, or imprisoned for 5 years, or both. The penalty could be doubled if a minor is involved.

I am still trying to figure out how Bill Clinton can be made to be responsible for Foley-gate. So far, Bushies have put 9/11 and North Korea in his lap, ignoring that Condi DID attend that urgent meeting with the CIA (even though she "forgot"--key to success in the Bush Whitehouse). Furthermore, Donnie (Worst Sec of Defense in History) Rumsfield was on the BOARD of the company that sold the reactors to N. Korea. When the world is in peril, let's keep in mind that ALL ROADS LEAD BACK TO RUMSFELD, not Clinton.

"Keep Pervy Republican Mitts off Our Kids--Vote Democrat"

ANSWER TO DENE: WHEN YOU COMMIT A CRIME YOU VIOLATE OTHERS RIGHTS, THEREFORE YOU ARE ACTING MORE LIKE (SHAMEFULLY) ADULTS DO, ESP WHEN IT IS MURDER AND MAIMING. WHEN YOU ARE CHILD VICTIM, YOU SHOULD RECEIVE YOUR FULL RIGHTS AS A MINOR TO PROTECT YOU. SIMPLE ENOUGH. FOLEY IS A PREDATOR AND A PEDOPHILE, FAR DIFFERENT FROM HOMOSEXUAL, AND WITHOUT A DOUBT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED LONG AGO, BUT THEN THEY ALL SHOULD HAVE, SPEAK OUT FOLKS AND PERHAPS IT WILL STOP. WE CAN GET CELL PHONES THAT REPORT THEIR OWN THEFT, SURELY WE CAN TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO REPORT PREDATORY BEHAVIOR BEFORE THEY ARE ROBBED OF THEIR YOUTH. ACT NOW. TURN IN A CREEP TODAY!

The real story is the cover up by closeted GOP members. This story has a long way to go. Most gays in DC know the real story.

Ephebophilia or pedophilia he is still a threat to kids. 16 the age of consent, really?? This is just crazy, 16 is a rough time for most kids emotionally and physically and that sicko preyed on that.

Foley represent the real Gop's family values: rotten hypocrites-bleached tombs

Okay, don't care what age consent is, bottom line: this party of morals and individuality ignored what was happening... in this country, the US of A, if you are under 18, you aren't an adult... lets just wait and see how this plays out after Nov 7. Once thing is for sure, the republicans got screwed by Foley; and yeah, If I were a Dem, I'd be playing hardball and milkin' this for all it's worth!

after a hard day of making the government smaller and raising your own salary as self congratulation, what hard working congressman wouldn't want to have a sexual fling with a minor of your preferred sex that you ostensibly have responsibility for?

Foley is a sick sick old man. For some Republicans to make light of Foley's predatory ways (just because the pages could be 16 or 17 or 18)is truly disgusting. More disgusting because the Republicans present such "squeaky" clean image about themselves, always self-righteous. Foley has behaved horribly and the Republicans should just admit it.