I’m sorry, folks, but some of the spin coming from the Republicans is a little hard to stomach — and Tony Snow is right up there with the worst of it (from The Moderate Voice, his emphasis in the same place I would have):
Soledad asks as “a parent” why any communication between a 16-year old page a Member of Congress doesn’t “raise red flags, major, massive red flags.” Snow responds, “[I]t’s not always pretty up there on Capitol Hill. And there have been other scandals, as you know, that have been more than simply naughty e-mails.”
Ahem. This is rather more than some naughty emails, Tony. Polimom has as little love for Democrats as for Republicans, but that was an outrageously stupid thing to say.
Joe has written an excellent post (and asked some pointed questions); I encourage you to read it all. This, however, caught my eye particularly:
Question: if any 50ish reader of this blog sent similar emails to high school students and if parents and authorities found out would they be called “simply naughty” or would they be characterized in a far more harsh manner…and seek legal action?
I think we all know the answer to that one…
Unbelievable.
(Prior related post here.)
Update:
Local Houston blogger rightwingsparkle writes:
What Foley did was sick and unacceptable and he is gone. That’s what Republicans do with sexual immorality, we kick them out. Other politicans who are sexually immoral are luckier, like Bill Clinton, Gerry Studds, Barney Frank, and Ted Kennedy, they are Democrats.
Polimom thinks she’d do well to read Joe’s question above, and then explain how that applies to some of those folks on her list. Trying to say, “Yeah, but look at those sleazy Democrats” is not only a false parallel, it’s a fairly obvious duck and weave. More:
The Democrats know that a sexual scandal, no matter how sick, is the responsibililty of the adult involved…
It is almost as dispicable [sic] as what Foley did. But I am not surprised.
Unh hunh.
You know, the partisanship nastiness is pretty excessive about now, from both sides, but it’s really odd how folks can’t tell the difference between a high school student and an adult…
Also — Balloon Juice has some wonderful posts up about this incredible political explosion. This is my favorite.