The Foley Scandal: It's Not About Sex; It's About Trust

I just read the perfect summation of why the Foley scandal threatens to become the nail in the GOP's 2006 coffin:

"This isn't an isolated situation. It is only the most recent example of Republican House leaders doing whatever it takes to hold onto power. If it means spending billions of taxpayers' dollars on questionable projects, they'll do it.

"If it means covering up the most despicable actions of a colleague, they'll do it."

Quick HuffPost Quiz: Can you name the source of this damning quote?
A) MoveOn
B) Harry Reid
C) Nancy Pelosi
D) Daily Kos
E) New York Times Editorial

Actually, it's F) None of the Above. The stinging words were delivered by Richard Viguerie, one of the founding fathers of the conservative movement, in an e-mail to his supporters [via AMERICABlog]. You know you're in trouble when your base starts accusing you of doing whatever it takes to hold onto power.

It's not about sordid IMs; it's about the loss of trust.

If the Foley fallout turns out to be the tipping point when the American public finally turns on the Republican Party and hands control of the House to the Democrats, it won't be because of Foley's perverted acts; it will be because of the GOP's perverted priorities. Not because Foley enjoyed the image of a young boy's "cute butt bouncing in the air" but because Hastert and company have made covering their own butts Job One.

The current narrative – that the American people can't trust these guys to look after the interests of vulnerable children – fits in perfectly with the building narrative that the American people can't trust them in so many other areas: We can't trust them to tell the truth about the war in Iraq. We can't trust them to tell the truth about who really benefits from their tax cuts. We can't trust them to tell the truth about what they are doing to protect us at home. We can't trust them to tell the truth about the predatory actions of their point man on child porn.

Rep. John Boehner points the finger at Hastert. Rep. Jim Gerlach cancels a fund-raiser with Boehner. Rep. Rodney Alexander passes the buck to Hastert, then takes it back. Rep. Tom Reynolds washes his hands of the actions of his just-resigned chief of staff (while failing to explain why, after Reynolds learned of Foley's e-mails, Foley contributed $100,000 to the campaign committee Reynolds chaired). And while President Bush offers tepid words of support for Hastert – "he is a father, teacher, coach, who cares about the children of this country" – he's keeping the trap door control switch in reach.

In the end, it looks like the Republicans will succeed where the Democrats failed: in making the case for why the GOP needs to get the boot in November.

P.S. From the beginning, the Foley scandal was loaded with You Can't Make This Stuff Up details, starting with his co-chairmanship of the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus. In this same spirit, here is a trio of actual, true, real, I'm-no-kidding-you Foley quotes:

• On the FBI's Crackdown on Child Predators: "If I were one of those sickos, I'd be nervous."


• On Teen Nudist Camps: "It's putting matches a little too close to gasoline."


• On Bill Clinton (circa 1998): "It's vile. It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."

Paging, Dr. Freud!

Arianna Huffington, HuffingtonPost.com