Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

The continuously expanding scandal regarding ex-Congressman Tom Foley's salacious emails and instant messages to male Congressional pages is really a study in so many base human behaviors. It's becoming increasingly apparent that lots of Republicans on the Hill knew about Foley's behavior as early as (latest news) 2000, but instead of immediately acting to protect the pages, they did things that appear to have been more calculated to make a quiet attempt to stop the behavior, but ensure that the fact that the behavior occurred at all never saw the light of day. Confronted about it, I've heard talking head after talking head comparing what Foley did to what Bill Clinton did or Barney Frank did. While neither is particularly a paragon of moral virtue, the following things are true about Foley, which are categorically not true about Clinton or Frank.

• Foley sent lewd emails and instant messages to 16-year olds. Monica Lewinsky was 21 when she went to work at the White House. In this country, 21 is the age at which you are considered to fully be an adult, NOT A CHILD! You can vote, drink, and have every other individual right and freedom which this society provides, which you cannot at 16! Barney Frank consorted with a male prostitute, who ran a prostitution ring out of Frank's basement. This man also was NOT A CHILD! And prostitution, whatever we may otherwise think about it, is the world's oldest profession (or is it politics?). Neither of these men was taking advantage of children!!
• Foley, it turns out, may have had sex with an underage page. Neither Clinton nor Frank had sex with anybody under age.

And, not once in this entire discussion have I heard a single Republican say, unequivocally, as the very first thing out of their mouths, "our obligation, first, foremost, and always is to protect our children, and we will not rest until everyone accountable has been discovered and appropriately punished". Hastert says, "As was once said in this town, the buck stops here" and then went on to weasel his way out of any responsibility or accountability for anything having to do with the entire matter, except for saying he's responsible. Saying and being ain't the same thing, Mr. Speaker! And oh, by the way, the person behind "as was once said in this town" was Harry S. Truman, asshole, a Democrat! "Give 'em hell" Harry would've been to the bottom of this one already, and heads would have rolled, already. I understand your not wanting to be identified with one of the most decent men, Democrat, Republican, or Whig ever to hold the highest office in the land, because you're frankly not fit to shine his shoes...