What We Learned From Foley

National Review Online: GOP Must Stiffen Resolve To Promote Conservative Values

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Gary Bauer

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Now that the House ethics panel has released its final report on former Representative Mark Foley’s inappropriate contact with male teenage congressional pages, before the scandal is finally put to rest, it would be worthwhile to consider the lessons to be learned from the episode — for Republicans, Democrats, and society at large.

During its probe, the panel interviewed dozens of congressional staffers and concluded that Republicans were negligent in failing to act on years of troubling signs. The panel also found that "political considerations played a role in decisions that were made." It theorized that Republicans didn't act for fear of exposing Mr. Foley's homosexuality, and thus appearing anti-gay, and out of concern that Foley's scandal would affect him "adversely, both politically and personally."

These revelations should stiffen Republicans' resolve to be consistent in promoting conservative values, never placing political correctness or electoral concerns ahead of protecting children. For years, the Republican Party, as the home of values voters, has claimed the mantle of faith and family. For Republicans to retain the allegiance of conservative voters requires that they hold themselves to the highest standards, not only in their public policy positions, but also in their personal conduct, especially on matters of sexuality, family, and children.

But Republicans do not have a monopoly on hypocrisy in the Foley mess. The House ethics report found that Democratic campaign operatives urged newspapers to write about Foley's e-mails to teenage pages in the hope that a scandal would develop before the midterm elections.

An aide to Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D.-Ill.) revealed that Emanuel, as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also knew about the e-mails, even though he attempted to deny knowledge of them when the story broke in September.

What's more, the outrage Democrats displayed in the days after the scandal broke rang hollow considering their history of harassing the Boy Scouts for not allowing homosexuals to serve as scoutmasters. Recall that a Boy Scout troop was mercilessly booed at the 2000 Democrat National Convention, and that a majority of congressional Democrats voted against legislation protecting the Scouts' right to hire people who reflect that organization's values.

An inconvenient truth for Democrats is that they are strongly supported by organizations like the ACLU, which consistently argues that age of consent laws need to be dramatically reduced so that what Mr. Foley was attempting to do would be legal. Democrats are also supported by homosexual advocacy groups that routinely give organizations like NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association, positions in "gay rights" parades, where they proclaim such slogans as "sex by eight or it's too late."

Further, when former Democratic Congressman Gerry Studds admitted to having an affair with a teenage male House page in the mid-1980s, Congress formally censured him for misconduct; but Studds refused to resign his office, and the voters of his district reelected him repeatedly, while House Democrats rewarded him with a committee chairmanship.

[mjv2944]

Both parties aren't worth the powder to blow them both to hell. But we also now know that the neocons have no real values except personnel gain no matter what the cost. Conservatives are behind the eight ball thanks to the likes of Foley and DeLay. They will have a hard time selling conservatism considering how much debt we have accumulated and how much government has grown under them and their so called personal values.

[bluestardad]

so is this guy going to jail or what?

[susanhelit]

So, Mr. Gary Bauer doesn't know the difference between a pedophile and a homosexual? Or, rather, wants to hide it so he can slam the Democrats for not letting the Republicans hide their hypocricy and support their local pedophile.

Homosexual boy scout leaders are not there to have *** with the boy scouts, any more than the straight leaders are to do so. The ACLU supports free speech in all guises, including supporting a pastor's attempts to picket WalMart, opposing their support of ***. Who NAMBLA supports is hardly relevant, when no political party nor elected politician supports them in any way, shape or form - and we wouldn't want to get into who the KKK gives it's money to - now would we....

OK, it's an opinion article, and they're allowed to be somewhat lose with the truth, but I can't say I ever like it, especially not in an article about cleaning house and reclaiming your personal values... lies hardly fit in to an article about this, no matter how much you wish you could blame the Democrats for all the ethical lapses of the Republicans.

[observantx]

Let us not forget the hypocritical ruling that came out of the House unEthics Committee. There was negligence and wrong things were done, but that%u2019s OK since nobody broke any rules. Like you need a rule not to send gross pedophile emails to young boys and that you need a rule requiring turning in a practicing pedophile.

Let us also be aware that Mr. Bauer is a member of Project for a New American Century, the hotbed of neoconservative plotting in our government. So it is not surprising that Mr. Bauer wants to spin this as much as possible that it is the opposing party%u2019s fault that Foley was given a free ride to chase after pages.

[creeper00]

What a hoot! The NRO takes half of a two-page article to explain how the Foley scandal is really about what reprobates the Democrats are. They even dredged up Gerry Studds. For crying out loud, the man is dead and the scandal that made his name a household word happened thirty-three years ago! This is truly scraping the bottom of the barrel.

It never ceases to amaze me how completely divorced from reality the conservative sites are. Not only does this one lay the blame for Mark Foley squarely at the feet of Democrats, it also proudly proclaims, "For years, the Republican Party, as the home of values voters, has claimed the mantle of faith and family."

I have a few words for Mr. Bauer:
Duke Cunningham
Tom Delay
Jack Abramoff
Bob Ney
and, of course, the aforementioned Mark Foley.

So much for "values."

Clean your own house before you tell the world how dirty someone else's is.

[tejasdemo]

Typical NRO. More interested in winning then actually solving the countries massive problems.

The reason is because none of the nation's massive problem really affect these zeros.

They have plenty of money. They dont fight in wars. They dont pay any taxes.

[swingalong]

Yes, more National Review twaddle. As usual they spend most of the time telling about how awful the Democrats are whenever a Republican screws up. Isn't it awful when one side thinks it has cornered the market on morality or decency? Truly Taliban at heart.

By the way, the Boy Scouts of America are a dirty organization that also willfully practices religious discrimination against agnostics and atheists by going after their children and denying them membership. That's their national policy. if a child's mom is heard to say she is an agnostic -- the child is not allowed to join. (I know this first hand.) They, like other hate groups, seek protection from the concept of 'RIGHT OF ASSOCIATION," which no decent organization would touch with a ten-foot pole. They fight fiercely and unapolgetically to band those without the correct religion and they win in court -- just like the American Nazis and the rest of the groups that need to protect their institutionalized hate and discrimination which is usually codified in a carefully written pledge that makes certain people ineligible. It's a sickening organization and anyone that has anything to do with the BSA is making a tremendous ethical error. Oh, but the National Review and the republicans have the morals. I forgot. I must be wrong.

Three cheers for anyone who boos these low lifes -- the Boy Scouts.

NO ONE should join that group no matter what their sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or political party.

This NRO article stinks with hypocrisy. As if blathering on and on about family values is going to convince any thinking person that the Foley scandal was anything but a Republican lapse in judgment and ethics! And please, don't insult our intelligence with excuses that political correctness forced the Republican leadership to sweep Foley's behavior under the rug!!! The Republicans had years to do something about this man and they did nothing for reasons of expediency, not political correctness.

[sharncedar]

"Both parties aren't worth the powder to blow them both to hell"

I respectfully disagree. It would take about $730 dollars worth of powder, used liberally by a proper firing squad. A very good investment, not at all a waste of taxpayers money. The best investment we could make as a country, think of the dividends - the next Congress would be very hesitant to spend some trillions of dollars of corporate welfare and subsidies to foreign countries, I reckon.

[bluestardad]

When is this pedophyle going to Jail?

[bluestardad]

We need to send a crate of chickens to congress so they will leave the pages alone.

[bluestardad]

creeper00 well spoken

[rharrin1]

We found out how they lie and cover-up look at hastert he was told by his own people about foley and he did nothing and says he can't remember.

That can't remember was all used up by reagan in the contra hearings, that's all he said.

When the next election comes up we should finish the job we started in 2006.

[rafterman1]

"It never ceases to amaze me how completely divorced from reality the conservative sites are."

Actually, I disagree. The conservative sites are perfectly aware of reality and know EXACTLY what they are doing. But it's part of the strategy. Repeat lies, stay coonsistent in your lies and people will start believing. Lies like "For years, the Republican Party, as the home of values voters, has claimed the mantle of faith and family"

[bratmobile67]

I noticed a lot of cynicism in these posts about Foley and his activities. It saddens me that there is not any real emotion,but it is hardly surprising. Why should anyone in america feel shocked, outraged, sympathetic, protective of the child that was the victim of foley? we are only after all DISPOSIBLE, correct? We have a president who was excused from the draft sending our military to die, with no regard to the loss of lives,only to his own personal agenda, we have senate and congress passing legislations that make it more profitable to tear families apart,and steal children, and profitable to experiment on children regardless of the harm to their wellbeing, subjecting these children to mind altering drugs.... So why the uproar now? everyone around Foley knew for years, no one cared to stop these activities because it wasn't convenient to them or profitable for them to."Keep Foley happy he will cooperate and pass the bills we want him to..." For the People, Of the People, By the People? I doubt that.Lisa Lema

[hermit22]

Please print more of Gary Bauer's writing.
Thank you.

[patriotic9]

"What we learned from Foley"
1)First lesson we learned that REPUBLICANS just like their GOD-LOVING,HOLY,RELIGIOUS,CONSERVATIVE PRIESTS in the CHURCHES who SEXUALLY MOLEST and SODOMIZE young,little innocent American boys who call them FATHER,are not against a guy who screws boys,They are against the guys who want to have relationship with adults(gay marriage).
2)Second lesson is that all the RELIGIOUS,HOLY GOD-LOVING PEOPLE who oppose the constitution of USA which forbids the involvement of religion into polictics by seaprating CHURCH from STATE,are HYPOCRITES and LIARS.Whether it's BUHS who lied about Iraq WMDs,FOLEY who voted against GAY MARRIAGE and himself was harassing boys on internet,DRUG ADDICT LIMBOUGH,BILL OREILLY who preaches MORAL VALUES to everyone and himself was SEXUALLY HARASSING a female at work and then gave her $10 million to keep her mouth shut.GOD-LOVING,HOLY,CONSERVATIVE,RELIGIOUS PEOPLE who play the game of THE FATHER,THE SON and THE HOLY SPIRIT in the CHURCHES.Holy man is THE FATHER,the boy whose pant is PULLED DOWN by that HOLY MAN in the name of GOD is THE SON and what is inserted in the BACKHOLE of that innocent boy is the HOLY SPIRIT.These RELIGIOUS,HOLY,CONSERVATIVE people are the worst creatures on the face of earth.