Saturday, October 07, 2006

New GOP Plan: Punish The Pages

Rep Ray LaHood has called for the Page Program to be suspended calling it a flawed program. From the Oregonian:
Either today's House members are less capable of being trusted around
16-year-olds, or today's 16-year-olds -- as one conservative voice suggested
Tuesday -- are more dangerous and seductive.
To liberate House members from this unbearably suggestive atmosphere, from now on their errands might have to be run by prison trusties, or possibly elderly British nannies -- unless congressmen just decide to eliminate the middlemen and replace the teenagers with lobbyists.
Last night on John Williams' WGN Radio show LaHood was asked if he thought other pages were in peril. "Well," he said, "There are other gays in Congress."

So there you have it. The issue isn't a predator in Congress. It isn't the failure of Republican Leadership (of which Foley was a part) to investigate or communicate. The issue isn't the cover-up or the CYA attitude in Dennis Hastert's Office. It's all about them gays.

Yesterday Hastert said that he takes full responsibility but that he will take no action to hold himself accountable. Although his words said, "The Buck stops here," he made it very clear that his search continues for someone to whom he can pass the buck. That seems to be a common theme in Washington over the last 6 years, doesn't it?

Related: Seth says, "It's the cover-up, stupid!"

Update: The Republican from Utah puts the blame where it belongs; on the page's parents.
"Frankly, this is the responsibility of the parents," (Rep Chris) Cannon
said. "If you get online you may find people who are creepy. There are creepy
people out there who will do and say creepy things. Avoid them. That's what you
have to do. And maybe we can say that a little more to the pages."
After all, Ray Lahood says that Congress is a creepy place.

1 comment:

Other Side said...

Actually, he's just stuffing the buck in his pants pocket and hoping people will forget.