In a word, yes.
Perhaps he really didn't know about the instant messages, as he suggests. Perhaps the media is being too hard on the Republican leadership. Perhaps this was part of a coordinated "October Surprise" to throw Republicans off their game in the month leading up the election. It doesn't matter — if he didn't know, he should have known. Is it fair? Probably not. But this is politics and being a leader is about more than being fair. It's about being impeccable.
A Question of Timing
Is this an October Surprise? Was this held on to for release to counteract Karl Rove's "Treason Season" just as Republicans were starting to make gains? It's politics, I wouldn't put it past either side to pull a stunt like that. Bob Woodward's book is a great example. It was explicitly timed for the election targeting the issue that the Republicans are strong on.
If it was that, it went too early. Five weeks from now, every iota of detail will be vetted on this issue. If Denny Hastert is going to resign, he will have done it. The Republicans have time - not a lot - to figure out how to handle this. If this scandal ran ten days before the election they'd be screwed. As it stands, they may still be screwed. However, there is still some time to kick Hastert out (after all, Republicans seem to be the only party that routinely kicks out their disgraced leaders, McGreevy being a notable Democrat exception) and to find out if this was timed by Democrats in a controlled leak.
However, this issue, coming out as it did, gave the Democrats a key attack to use against Congressional Republicans. Until now, the Democrats were essentially running against Bush. You may get some voters with that, but odds are, mostly the ones who'd vote for you anyway. When's the last time an anti-war activist voted Republican? However, this scandal gave voters a reason to vote against House Republicans specifically. As much as conservatives (or anyone for that matter) complain about pork barrel spending, no one really believes that Congressional Democrats will be any better (see Illinois' current financial problems). There haven't been a lot of polls out to assess the damage yet, but common sense dictates it won't be good. Nevertheless, this is the Republicans' race to lose and they seem to be doing their best to do exactly that.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
A brave stand for a hardcore righter to take, JB. Personally I don't care if Hastert resigns from the house, but I think he should probably resign as house leader. Actually putting him in or out of office ought to be left to the popular vote. But he should resign his leadership position to acknowledge failure in dealing with something they've known was a problem for 20 years and more.
Dave
2 - John Bambenek
Fair enough, however, the voters in Foley's district didn't decide to throw him out, he resigned. The only way the GOP is going to have any legitimacy is if they wipe the leadership of the House. Whether that's Hastert resigning the Speaker job or he leaves all the way. But not just Hastert, at least Shimkus and Boehner too.
And when we find which Dem congressmen sat on this, they should be shown the door as well.
3 - dee
People amaze me with their stupidity. If the speaker covered this up, or as many many many conservatives do, had a problem with or didn't want to deal with this issue when it arose, he should definately resign. How can anyone advocate that this man should stay if he knew (apparently he wasn't the only one who knew) about this and didn't do anything? Its insanity. Foley was / is a child predator and for someone in Hasterts position to do nothing after knowing there is absolutely no justification. He put everypage in danger by doing nothing. Hastert needs to take responsibility for doing nothing and step down. That would make two now if he goes. The repubs. are so scandalous.
PS - The alcohol thing is a weak case also. How about better acceptance of gays and creating an environment for them to feel comfortable in this society and then this guy might have not had to hide these feelings he was having and then maybe this might have not happened and then maybe the repubs. wouldn't have lost the congress, house, senate and next presidential election also?
4 - Arch Conservative
Hey what would Arch Conservative say about this issue?
I'll tell you what.......
I, unlike the moonbats like Adam who do nothing but Bush bash 24-7 do possess a sense of objectivity and am not an absolute ideologue.
Of course Hastert should resign if he had knowledge of Foley having inappropriate sexual contact witha minor. Also...any other republican in congress who had knowledge of any wrong doings by Foley and helped him cover it up should resign. Pedophilia is disgusting and wether or not you;re a man/woman, repub/dem, you must pay the price if you engage in it or enable others to. Apparently man in the GOP are trying to cover this up. I understand that this is an election year but that's just not the right thing to do. What the GOP should do is come clean and remove anyone from Congress who knew what was going on.
That being said I do not think that the actions of a few bad apples can be used to indict an entire political party. Dee says "republicans are scandalous"
Democrats aren't?
The fact is Dee that this isn't going to cost the GOP the 2008 pres election. It might not even cost them too much other than Foley's seat this Nov.
The simple fact is that although this is a scandal... Dems and liberals are still going to act like the unelectable dems and libs they are.
5 - dee
Arch - Would you agree with the statement Dems are less scandalous than repubs? They both are shady but...
I agree with most of what you said and anyone, regardless of party lines, who knew about this should immediately step down. What happened to the truth in politics and in this country? We need to get back to telling the truth. At all times. You have these loyalists who attempted to cover this up and that irks me to no end. Be honest and say you knew about it beforehand. Is that to much to ask?
6 - Arch Conservative
NO I wouldn't agree with that at all.
7 - John Bambenek
My side has less perverts than your side... neener neener neener!
Seriously, what's wrong with you people?
Is this what political discussion has become, a scoreboard of pedophiles?
I got an idea, screw the issues, let's just bicker about who has more sexual deviants and then vote that way.
Forget Iraq, forget taxes and the economy, forget national security and terrorism, forget the Bill of Rights... it all comes down to which party has the most cybersex.
8 - Steve
when will the "progressive" witch-hunt ever end??
9 - Arch Conservative
"My side has less perverts than your side... neener neener neener!"
That's not it at all.
Just because republicans fucked up on this one I'm supposed to decry the whole GOP and become a flaming liberal John?
Fuck that.
Foley is a scumbag and any GOP congressmen that covered up for him are too and ought to go. But make no mistake about it. The Democrats as a party are still worse for America than the GOP.
Fuck Foley and fuck every liberal reading this or feeling smug and superior right now because they have a little ammo that they feel they can bash the entire GOP with!
10 - Scott
"I, unlike the moonbats like Adam who do nothing but Bush bash 24-7 do possess a sense of objectivity and am not an absolute ideologue"
Is this supposed to be ironic?
11 - Baronius
John, do you think that this would have made a greater impact 10 days before the election? I'm not sure. The speed with which people absorb, consider, and respond to a scandal is phenomenal. I think the Foley scandal will have a greater impact timed as it was, if there's more to the story. If not, it'll be a blip.
It would be a blip six weeks before an election, or ten days beforehand. If it broke on November 3rd, it would be chaos. It might even help the Republicans, because it would be so obviously a ploy.
Even if Hastert knew more than we know, this won't change anyone's vote. Its main impact will likely be on turnout. Hastert isn't a household name, except among those who confuse him with the guy who played the President on 24. If the Dems' policy alternative to Bush's War on Terror is "some guy in Florida is a pervert", they're going to be disappointed.
12 - Silas Kain
Nope. Let Denny stay until after the November elections when Nancy Pelosi will become Screamer of the House.
13 - Michael J. West
A brave stand for a hardcore righter to take, JB.
Many hardcore righters are taking the same stand: Michael Reagan, David Bossie, and The Washington Times editorial staff all agree with Bambenek that Hastert has to go.
Nice to see that today, in addition to running off to rehab, Foley has played the I-Was-Molested-As-A-Child card.
14 - Dave Nalle
But not just Hastert, at least Shimkus and Boehner too.
I might give Boehner a break. He's only been on the job a few months.
And when we find which Dem congressmen sat on this, they should be shown the door as well.
If there were an actual crime involved here rather than just legal but immoral activity, I'd go after ABC News for sitting on the story for like a year.
I have to say that given how long this story has been around the timing of the revelation is incredibly suspicious.
Dave
15 - Mohjho
"Perhaps this was part of a coordinated "October Surprise" to throw Republicans off their game in the month leading up the election."
What possible evidence do you have that this could be an October Surprise? Coordinated by whom? To suggest this is to indicate that the Democrats somehow knew of the problem and saved it tell now for maximum effect. Nice try. See, its not the Republican leadership that is the problem, its those damn Democrats using these poor pages for political gain. Ya, that's it!
You could just as easily say this was all a Rovian plot to distract from the Woodward book or our new and improved Habeas Corpus legislation.
Roves promised October Surprize! Ya, that's it!
This is a no brainer. The Republicans screwed the pooch from the beginning. Who cares what the leadership does after this. Do they have anyone who can step up to the plate and give us something other than window dressing and talking points? Just as well leave them in charge, its all the same.
We live in interesting times.
16 - Nancy
Hell, I wish the Dem leadership HAD been the ones who planned this; it would prove to me that at last & at least they're getting off their vapid butts & growing spines, willing to come out & fight GOP dirty tricks with dirty tricks instead of wringing their hands & whining all over the place as they have for the past 8 years. I'm sick to death of the Dems acting like they think down & dirty fighting a la Rove is beneath them, and taking a beating from the GOP every time, because the GOP doesn't suffer from such vapors about ethics as they do. It's about time they did pick up an axe or two and emulate the "Gangs of New York" & start retaliatory bashing of a few GOP heads instead of sitting around talking about it & wondering what to do. A blind, deaf, & dumb kindergartener could have made mincemeat out of the GOP congress by this time, what with all the scandals one after the other that have involved the Republicans, not to mention the WH shenanigans to boot; but not the Dem leadership, nope; nada, nothing. Too delicate & moral to play rough. BULL-!
As for the Republicans, no matter what they reap from all this, it won't be bad enough to punish them for the crimes & betrayals they've perpetrated against the people. The Republican party is unfortunate in that they've suffered from the double whammy of being hijacked by BushCo & the Religious Reich, while at the same time being subjected to far too much tempation to abuse power by becoming the sole power to rule both congress & the WH...and of course, as noted previously, absolute power corrupts absolutely. If the GOP is going to survive they need to clean house ruthlessly, take back their honor and their party, & wash their hands of old boy politics, no matter how painful it is. They did it when they got rid of Nixon; they need to do it now even more urgently.
And John is absolutely right in that people in the administration & congress (either party) act like there's one set of laws for us the peons, and none for them. I have long pointed out the arrogance & ivory tower mentality of over-privilege & over-entitlement that snares every congressmaggot, which is the very best argument for strict term limits so they don't get used to their status as Exempt Beings.