Dennis Hastert is a dangerous idiot

By Michael J.W. Stickings

From Think Progress:

Interviewed by Rush Limbaugh [yesterday], House Speaker Hastert said Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior was "a political issue" and promised Rush that "we are going on offense."

The "offense" is an effort to portray the scandal as a conspiracy specifically timed by liberals to affect the elections. "We are the insulation to protect this country," Hastert declared, "and if they get to me it looks like they could affect our election as well."

So, let me get this straight. It's all politics. Forget that Mark Foley is a sexual predator. This is now a campaign issue. Plain and simple. Democrats are just using Foley to get to Hastert and the Republicans, who have done such wonderful things for the country.

Do you ever get the feeling you're living in some alternate reality where nothing makes sense and you're just mucking around in bullshit? Sort of like when Jerry, George, and Elaine are waiting for a table at that Chinese restaurant. There's one point where Elaine just loses it. I feel that way now. I'm losing it.

In all seriousness, this is fucking insane. We're talking about a sexual predator here. A man -- a man in a position of authority, a man in a position of responsibility, a member of the House of Representatives, for fuck's sake -- preyed on impressionable and vulnerable teenaged boys. He had sexual relations with them on the Internet. He sought sexual relations with them in person. Is that not what happened? Is that not what this is about? Republicans are trying to change the channel, but no partisan spin will help them this time.

It's not the Democrats' fault that a Republican is a sexual predator. It's not the Democrats' fault that the Republican leadership knew what was going on and let it go on. How should the Democrats respond? How should they deal with a sexual predator? How should they deal with the denials and cover-ups? Should they not be critical of Foley? Should they not be critical of Hastert and the other enablers of sexual predation in the Republican leadership?

Where is the outrage from Republicans themselves? Oh, no, there's no outrage. This is politics. And they're now going on the offensive. How fucking offensive is that? Is there not something sick and twisted about the Republicans responding to a story of sexual predation by themselves going on the offensive, by turning to political predation?

Dennis Hastert is a fucking idiot. And so are all those who still refuse to deal with the real issue of Mark Foley's reprehensible behaviour.