A failed war. A crazy economic policy. A huge budget deficit. Rampant corruption. But nothing affects the American electorate like a sex scandal. God Bless America.

I read an interview with Barney Frank on the advocate.com in which he speculated that the GOP will now conduct a Salem Witch Trial style purge of all the closet cases (and apparently, there are many) that work for the party in high places.

I'm specifically referring to Ken Mehlman, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, as well as top aides to Hastert, Reynolds and Boehnor (Boner, sorry couldn't resist), and who knows who else.

Part of me feels sorry for them, but mostly I want to see them get what they deserve for treacherously supporting the despicable Republican Party.

Hey, as a stright guy I take offense to this post. I am able to control my ... hey look! tits!

No, no, it's not the gays' fault. It's Bill Clinton. He's to blame for everything. Historians now believe that Clinton is to blame for Teapot Dome, Anna Nicole, and the Civil War.

October surprise indeed.

It is sad that the Democrats have to resort to pinning their hopes on this scandal to tip the edge for their victory in November. On the one hand they (and some Republicans) are pointing their fingers of new-found righteous indignation to Dennis Hastert about not following up on eyebrow raising emails and messages to adolescent pages. On the other hand they are projecting a homophobic retaliation by the GOP against gays. Both have their basis in fact and can point to supporting arguments but they don’t translate into voter passion. Sex scandals churn up memories and finger pointing to the hypocrisy regarding prior sex scandals by mortal politicians of both parties who get too horny for their own good. It’s just all one blended mess and voters always would rather focus on the real issues of the day.

It is also sad that Mark Foley, who had the accomplishments in life to become Congressman, and the courage to be a gay and Republican and vote against the Marriage Amendment (yes, I admit that Republicans have been mean to gays – but still my orientation does not dictate my political philosophy) did not have a partner or at least a close buddy, and that he made an ass out of himself by lusting after 17-year-olds. If the Democrats are consistent, however, they should propose legislation for making a federal age of consent law to be 18. Don’t hold your breath.

For me, I’m putting my vote with the party that takes terrorism seriously and that has the correct philosophy for guiding a robust capitalistic economy. We can disagree on which party that is, but those are the issues which Americans will consider. This sex scandal is, rightly so, a tangential issue.

What's so delicious (what a faggy word, delicious) about this whole thing is that they can point all the fingers they want, the re-pube-licans are still the ones covered in santorum. We mo's have been having to put up with republican bullshit for a while, but these last 6 years of Bushocracy have been even more excruciating. So i think now is our turn to sit back and just watch them eat each other. We'll probably have to get back in the fight eventually, but I think we have earned this.

BTW, i know how evil I am for taking delight in someone else's misfortune, especially considering it involves the exploitation of children, but uhhhh, I don't fucking care!

"The cardinal rule of politics is never get caught in bed with a dead woman or a live boy."

--Lyndon B. Johnson

...voters always would rather focus on the real issues of the day.

Yeah, I don't think so. Most Americans are getting fucked over by Republican policies. If they cared about that real issue and not abortion or gay marriage, the Republicans would have already been tossed out on their asses.

Best is the Fox poll from the RNC that says they will lose 50 seats in the House.

I keep repeating to myself, Schadenfreude is bad karma, Schadenfreude is bad karma...

Oh, and proud gay Republican - you're totally not getting it. The problem with what Foley did is that it was an abuse of power. The problem with what Hastert did, and Boehner, and Hastings, and the rest of them, is that they had the power to protect the pages from a known abuse of power, and they did not. It's not about sex, to me. It's about abuse of power.

For the record, the main difference to me between this and Clinton's indiscretion with Lewinsky is that SHE initiated it and kept it going. He didn't solicit her. Nonetheless, I heartily disapproved of the whole business, as I disapprove of ANY boss having relations with a subordinate (or any teacher with a student, any doctor with a patient, or any other case where the power exchange is so wildly skewed). But it wasn't criminal. It hasn't yet been established whether Foley is guilty of anything criminal. But if the House leadership definitely knew Foley was using his position of power to solicit sex with young men under his titular authority, and did nothing to stop it, they ARE guilty of criminal behavior.