Liars

I have to tell you its getting very difficult to keep an up-to-the-minute blog going on when the Foley/Hastert case keeps dealing one surprise after another. CNN is now reporting that the FBI is interested in interviewing NY Congressman Reynold’s ex-aid Kirk Fordham who has made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t intend to roll over and take one for the team. Fordham has recently revealed that he notified speaker Hastert of Foley’s inappropriate behavior with male pages in 2003, which makes Hastert out to be a big fat liar. I think that Hastert and Reynolds are both toast.

As much as I am enjoying the spectacle of seeing the Republicans embroiled in an underage gay sex scandal, it pains me to see the media hammering away at this story at the expense of the arguably more important issues like Iraq and the elimination of habeas corpus. The Iraq quagmire has been getting more deadly by the day and Bob Woodward’s revelation that Henry Kissinger has been a shadowy figure at the White House makes the comparison of this debacle with Viet Nam all the more clear. Nevertheless, the issue that is resonating with heartland voters is the Foley matter. The Republicans, rather than addressing the issue head on, are throwing to the sharks anyone in the party they can get their hands on. This “every man for himself” philosophy is guaranteed to engender disgust back in the home districts while revealing to the voters the Republican leadership’s obsession with power.

"Everyone knows that Congress people are assigned to committees based on their great weakness. Why would Senator Ted Stevens---a man more comfortable in the horse and buggy era---be in charge of regulating the Internet, which he believes is a series of tubes? A series of tubes though which other congressmen can reach through and fondle 16-year-olds."---John Oliver on The Daily Show

Plans for the party are proceeding apace. Becky was up until 12:30 this morning making empanadas. I took tomorrow off to deal with food and beverage issues. Hope more of you are planning on coming.