The Foley Affair: Prankster or predator?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Drudge claims it was all a silly prank that got out of hand, continuing the shameful efforts of some on the right to let Foley and his GOP enablers off the hook, but The Raw Story debunks that claim:

Sources inside ABC News tell RAW STORY that the evidence of widespread misconduct by Foley is overwhelming and rules out the possibility that the entire scandal is based on a prank or a sting.

In addition, ABC News's The Blotter is reporting,

[t]hree more former congressional pages have come forward to reveal what they call "sexual approaches" over the Internet from former Congressman Mark Foley.

Pam, who is all over this story, has more. Check back with her for updates.

Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll indicates that 61 percent of Americans "believe that Republican leaders have been 'protecting [Mark] Foley for several years.'" Time polling finds much the same, with serious implications for the Republicans come November:

Two-thirds of Americans aware of the congressional-page sex scandal believe Republican leaders tried to cover it up -- and one quarter of them say the affair makes them less likely to vote for G.O.P. candidates in their districts come November.

Above all, we mustn't let the GOP, or those on the right generally, take control of this story and spin it their way. Efforts are well underway, by Drudge and others, but this was no innocent prank. Foley preyed on a specific group of teenaged boys from his position of power. Republicans knew it was happening and let it happen. It's that simple. And that awful.

See also MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh, and Andrew Sullivan.