One question not touched by the mass press is why the pages never said anything publicly over the years (yes, years) that Foley predated amongst them. Oh, now we hear from some that they were warned about Foley, but it is painfully clear that they pretty much played along, and kept quiet. Given all the gossip-mongers whirling about the centers of power, isnGÇÖt it a bit odd not one of the young men gave even a hint to some one, and it sort of, well, leaked out? Or made an effective complaint to, if not the Speaker, then how about to Tom Davis, who was Chair of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and formerly head of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee during most of this messGÇö oh, thatGÇÖs right, Tom got too much money from FoleyGÇÖs rich constituents back then to want to investigate Foley.Remember how several news anchors have been broken and fired for probing where Bush prefers they not? Or generals are retired because they actually tell the truth in their professional estimates of troops required to accomplish a mission? Or the Dixie Chicks who were stridently boycotted because of an anti-Bush remark by one of them, and whose CDs were then piled in parking lots and driven over by trucks? Or the French, thanks to whose support we won our Revolution, who were maligned because of their opposition to the Iraq invasionGÇö their wine was poured down sewers and French fries became Freedom fries. The Culture of Intimidation marches on.
A more recent intimidation has been reported against the Honorable Carlos C. Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development under President Reagan, as reported here in RaisingKaine. Apparently because Mr. Campbell wrote some hard-hitting op-ed pieces or letters to the editor criticizing George Allen, he has received death threats. And, speaking of George Allen, Jason Kello, until recently a speech writer for Mr. Allen, and formerly Director of Communications for the odious Congressman Foley, has the usual Republican intimidation style. RaisingKaine has quoted his initial response to FoleyGÇÖs little e-mail problem as being GÇ£...nothing more than a political attack and an attempt at the worst kind of character assassination.GÇ¥ Guess heGÇÖd know about character assassination. And now the Republican chorus is saying, Wait a minute, where's the crime? No crime has been committed.
Bottom line: the pages did not squeal because they feared Republican retaliation. They were fully immersed in the Culture of Intimidation stewing on Capitol Hill, where even lobbyists are reminded not to contribute to Democrats if they want continued access to the Republican political leadership. The pages arenGÇÖt stupid. Most of them wanted future political jobs, many probably dreamed of future careers as politicians. So this is how business is done in Washington, eh? If they had any such ambitions, they had to keep their mouths shut or see their futures destroyed.
This report is based on recent newspaper reports and an article by Robert Parry of consortiumnews.com, The link is here:
http://www.consortiu...
Indiscretions and crimes will undoubtedly occur from time to time. How can we assure that they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately going forward?
If it sounds like I am minimizing the severity of Foley's, the coverup, or it's relationship with the Culture of Intimidation (and Corruption) - not so.
I just think we ALL want a return to sanity. Well, most of us do. And that goes for a number of R's that I talk with from time to time.
The ones who don't speak, that's their problem.
But I don't want to become one of them. Yes, remove from office those who have failed in their responsibilities by all means. And send the criminals to jail. But what we don't need as a nation, party or as individuals is to spend five or ten years rubbing their nose in it.
We can all learn from the debacle we've endured since 2000. And somewhere along the line a Democratic leader will make mistakes, commit a crime, or fail miserably. We will need to deal with such an incident appropriately and swiftly. Kick him or her out, punish where needed, and move on.
Just like now. This culture of intimidation that Teddy's talking about arises from the Republican party and has become part of its very fabric. But we're all paying a price for a disastrous failure of leadership that is nothing short of an epidemic.