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Stearns and Keller discuss Foley
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Location: Blogs Now We're Talking |
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| Posted by: Joe Byrnes |
10/8/2006 11:05 AM |
What have we learned in the past week?
Well, for one thing, Americans should get to know their members of Congress, but should never leave their children alone in the House.
In the latest scandal, U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fort Pierce, resigned after he was exposed for sending raunchy instant messages to underage former Capitol Hill pages. The House ethics committee and FBI have begun investigations.
New details are steadily coming out about what House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republican leaders knew and when they knew it and what they didn't do to protect teenagers under their care.
The whole situation is disturbing. But Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., especially got to me when he shirked responsibility by saying he passed questions about Foley on to Hastert, his "supervisor."
Let's be clear. No other congressman is his supervisor, and Hastert is not your representative's boss. You are the boss. Our members of Congress answer to us, the American people in their districts.
In their actions, they represent what we would do.
This scandal has not - thank goodness - involved any members of the Marion County delegation. But what do they have to say about it?
I reached two of them Thursday. Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, and Ric Keller, R-Orlando, said Foley's conduct was disgusting and inappropriate and they're glad he resigned.
Keller, whose district includes much of southeast Marion, said the FBI should investigate Foley and an ethics investigation should look into who knew what and when.
He stood by Hastert. Keller contrasted the Speaker's supposedly prompt action against Foley on Friday with former Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neill's handling of Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass. In 1983, Studds was censured for having sex 10 years earlier with a 17-year-old male page but remained in Congress.
As to whether House leaders should have investigated Foley months ago, he said, "Hindsight is 20/20."
To better understand the situation, Keller said, you need to understand the people involved. Hastert, he said, is "sort of like a Santa Claus figure," warm, likeable and trustworthy. Foley came across as very outgoing and exuberant with everyone. Because of that, he said, his friendliness with the pages didn't necessarily throw up a red flag.
Keller said the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald, had earlier seen some of Foley's friendly e-mails, though not the pornographic ones, and did not write about them at the time.
Congress should not get rid of the Capitol Hill page program, he said. "That's kind of like saying as a result of the Monica Lewinsky scandal we should never have interns on Capitol Hill."
This should not be a political issue, Keller said, but he repeatedly resurrected Democratic scandals.
"There are perverts in every walk of life, including Congress," Keller said.
Stearns was cautious in his comments about Hastert.
"I've not called for the Speaker's resignation because we don't have all the facts," he said Thursday morning.
The Foley scandal is an important issue, Stearns said. "But I question the timing of it so close to the election."
Keep the page program, he said, but make sure safeguards are in place.
While Keller has gotten a lot of calls about Foley. Stearns said he has not.
"It has not been on the radar like some other issues," Stearns said. Those are immigration, the war in Iraq and health care, especially Medicare benefits.
Oh, yeah, those issues.
I got distracted by the news that, despite warnings, children who had been in the care of Congress were allowed to suffer obscene sexual harassment - if not worse - at the hands of a hypocritical champion of their cause.
Joe Byrnes may be reached at joe@ocala.com or (352) 867-4112.
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