Mark Foley and Congressional Pages

The leftist press seems determined to use Mark Foley's abominable behavior as a stick with which to beat the Republicans. The right seems determined to either capitulate (see the Washington Times article asking for Denny Hastert's head on a platter) or to try to turn it around and use it to beat on Democrats (finger pointing at Barney Fag Frank, etc.

If Republicans wish to be true Conservatives (a debatable question, at best), then they must take advantage of the downfall of Mark Foley, and press the social issues at the heart of the scandal.

First, Mark Foley was a known homosexual. He had access to underage pages (both male and female). If Foley had been a heterosexual that was making email passes at female pages, and perhaps even carried on explicit IM's with them, then the House Majority could have just shrugged its collective shoulders and said, "Boys will be boys." -- the classic Clintonian defense. Oh, the House could have censured him, and maybe he'd lose out on being on the Page Committee, but there would not be a big hullaballoo.

Thus, the action of a House Majority should be to outlaw known homosexuals in the House from having any access to Pages. If this means having a floor rule that excludes homosexuals from being allowed to take their house seat, then this will truly protect the male pages from access to them from persons in power who can use that power to take advantage of them.

Second, Foley has, apparently, submitted himself to a rehabilitation clinic. Alcohol is being blamed, more and more, for many of the ignoble and downright bad actions of famous people. One need only mention Mel Gibson (his anti-semitic tirade is all but forgotten in the haze of his alcohol rehabilitation) or Ted Orca Kennedy.

Thus, in order to both protect the House, its Pages, and the general public, the House Majority should not only outlaw alcohol from Federal premises (including their offices), but should administer breathalyzer tests to each member, each morning before they begin to conduct business. This would have the benefit of no longer allowing any House member to hide behind the alcohol defense if they say or do anything particularly bad.

So, if the House Majority were truly intending to clean house, rather than just whitewashing it, it would both establish a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and a Prohibition policy for its members.