Is GOP Giving Up on DeWine, Santorum, and Others?

THE NEW YORK Times has a detailed story today about where the GOP is putting its money during the final three weeks before the election. I'd give you the link, but the story is behind the NYT firewall (damn you, New York Times).

Of note, however, is the fact that the GOP appears to be giving up on (using that term loosly here -- meaning 'not sending anymore money to') DeWine, Santorum, Burns, and Chafee, choosing instead to throw money into some critical House seats and three other notable Senate races -- Missouri, Tennesee, and Virginia. If we are to believe that the 4 senators above will be defeated (and that is, of course, not a sure thing), that would leave two more seats that Dems would have to win to take control. Getting two out of three from Missouri, Tenn, and Virginia will be a tough, but not out of the realm of possibility. I give the best shot to Harold Ford of Tennessee. I think Allen will pull out Virginia, but Webb continues to find himself very close in the polls.

Of course, all of this assumes that the Democrats don't lose any of their reelection bids. Most seats are safe, but Menendez in NJ is closer than some thought it would be.

Selective Moral Judgement

THOSE ON THE Right are doing their best to compare the Foley scandal with the Clinton-Lewinsky mess, arguing that Democrats are exercising 'selective moral judgement' because they are 'outraged' (Hannety's word) at Foley's behavior but they were not outraged at Clinton's behavior.

I'm all for being outraged (and I was) at Clinton's behavior, but surely even right-wing hacks are smart enough to understand the difference between consensual sex between two adults and a grown man who preys on children.

Alcohol To The Rescue

ONCE AGAIN A politician/celebrity in hot water has run to rehab for cover. With the news Sunday that Mark Foley has checked himself into an alcohol rehab clinic, some are opening wondering if his sex-laced emails were simply the result of intoxication.

Has it come to this? Are we now at a place where we can drive cars into the Capitol (a la Patrick Kennedy), rant against Jews (a la Mel Gibson), or send sexually suggestive emails to minors (a la Mark Foley) and get away with it by blaming alcohol? It seems to be the defense du jour at the moment.

Step Down Denny, Says the WaTimes.

AS I'VE SAID many times in this space, I read the Washington Post every day. But it's the other daily newspaper in town that is making news this morning -- the Washington Times.

The Times is a conservative newspaper with about 1/3 the circulation of the Post. But it has a great deal of influence because it is viewed as an alternative to the 'liberal' Post. In today's editorial, the right-leaning paper demands that Speaker Hastert resign.

The fact that the WaTimes beat the WaPost in demanding Hastert's resignation should not go unnoticed. Republicans are in deep trouble if they don't rush to the front of this story. It may be too late (depending on who knew what when), but any attempt to defend the House leadership if they in fact sat on this story, will be complete disaster for the GOP.

Mark Foley's Attorney Speaks

WHAT IN THE world does this mean? Mark Foley's attorney released a statement Monday. Part of the statement:

“Mark Foley has never, ever had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor in his life. He is absolutely, positively not a pedophile.”

Never had 'inappropriate sexual contact with a minor'? Is that lawyer-speak? I hope so, because for those of us not trained in the law, the statements begs this question: is there such thing as appropriate sexual contact with a minor?

Foley's Friday Afternoon Trash

FRIDAY IS 'TRASH day' in Washington -- the day bad news is released to the public with hopes that it will get lost in the weekend papers. Somehow I don't think this Rep. Mark Foley's trash is going to go unnoticed.

From The Fix:

Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) today resigned from Congress, putting his congressional seat up for grabs just 39 days before the election.
Foley has represented the 16th District since 1994 and has regularly been mentioned as a potential candidate for statewide office. He was a candidate for the U.S. Senate briefly in 2003 before dropping out, citing his desire to spend more time with his parents.
His abrupt decision to step down from his seat comes one day after ABC News reported the existence of e-mails sent by Foley last fall to a 16-year-old boy who formerly served as a congressional page. In the messages, Foley reportedly asked the boy what he wanted for his birthday and requested that the boy send a photo of himself to Foley. (The St. Petersburg Times caught up with the boy some time ago but waited to report on it until today.)
Foley's departure is likely to create havoc for Republicans in the district. The district carries a Republican tilt -- President George W. Bush won it with 54 percent in 2004. But given the controversy and press attention likely to engulf Foley, this seat could well emerge as a late-breaking opportunity for Democrats.

How Much Do Your Capitol Hill Buddies Make?

WASHINGTON IS ALL abuzz over a new website that lists the salaries of the nearly 20,000 employees on Capitol Hill. The site was shut down earlier this week -- not because of a court order or an act of Congress -- but because the site was getting more hits than it could handle.

Salires of Congressial staffers are a matter of public record, but it used to be rather difficult to get the information because you had to consult thick books or hard to find websites. But no more thanks to legistorm.com. Now all the salaries you could ever want are just a couple of clicks away.

If you have friends who work on the hill (and I do), this site provides hours of entertainment!!