Why do I get the feeling this will be immediately swept under the rug?  I can't see Broder and the like deigning to write about such an unpleasant subject.

As the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, would/should Deborah Pryce (OH-15) have known about Foley?

no matter what the issue, case, or situation:

• They hide the truth as long as possible.

• They keep Democrats in the dark as long as possible.

• They make up cover stories and discard them based only on the calculus of how well they will play for a single news cycle, confident in their ability (with full press complicity) to spin something completely contradictory the next news cycle, if need be.

• They are absolutely 100% guilty of everything they have ever (truly or falsely) accused Democrats of, but shameless act as if there were no past record.

• They decry excessive partisanship, "gotcha" politics and journalism, "the politics of personal destruction," and everything else they've used repeatedly for the past 40 years to constantly smear liberals and Democrats.

• They suddenly discover the need for witholding judgment until all the facts are in, respecting people's Constitutional rights, and, in general, acting like card-carrying members of the ACLU.

It seems to me that Boehner's initial statement and other apparent facts provide enough evidence to justify further digging into a GOP cover-up of Foley's behavior.  I'd guess that ABC, since it can take a lot of credit for this story, will remain on the hunt, which could attract more attention from its media competitors.  The story also has that "tabloid" quality that seems to attract obsessive media attention.  The blogosphere is also not likely to drop it.

Though Foley's behavior is a lurid testament to the deep-seated and pathological hypocrisy of the self-righteous right, I think we can get more mileage out of the cover-up angle, which speaks to the systemic corruption in the Republican congress.  I think the goal should be to not let the issue become not so much Foley's sick behavior (though some coverage of that is desirable), since that has the potential to be dismissed as a "sad and sordid, but isolated case."  

What seems more useful is to push coverage toward the cover-up and what it says about the incredibly corrupt and destructive way that today's Republican congress operates (more Abramoff news won't hurt here either). We can start by hammering on the fact that what Hastert, et al did (or, more accurately, did NOT do) is INEXCUSABLE and MUST be investigated by an independent entity....we owe it to our children.

We have the high moral ground on this one, by a wide, wide margin, and we should use it to shine a bright light on the vile corruption that could allow something like this to be condoned by Republican Congressional leadership.  Some simple questions are what did Hastert and others know, when did they know it and what did (or didn't) they do about it, and why?  No weaseling here, Mr. Hastert...our children's safety is at stake.  You need to really answer the question.

The implicit (or maybe explicit) message to voters should be something like "if you vote Republican, you'd be joining Republican congressional leaders in allowing sexual perverts to prey on our best, brightest and most idealistic young people...could you live with yourself if you did that (paraphrasing that recent Adwatch Carney ad)?  If you want to cast a vote to insure our children are protected from such predators, your vote must help remove the Congressional leaders who knew about this and let it happen.  You'll feel a lot better if you do.  

Maybe we need a generic Dem version of the Carney "father" ad that focuses on Foley and his Republican enablers.???  Or maybe its just better to stick with Iraq.  Or maybe the Foley-enabling can be added to a short list of overwhelmingly good reasons to vote Democratic.  I don't know...but it sure seems like this development has some real potential to shift some more votes to our side.

The cover-up story just needs volume, and we know how to do that. Every single American knows that sexual content between adult and child is taboo whatever the context. Taboo. You don't even have to say why it's wrong because as taboo everyone agrees. Also, no one really wants to talk about taboo acts.Tough. Let's talk about it. Up the volume. The story is the cover-up and which Republicans chose to protect a child predator.

WHICH REPUBLICANS PROTECTED A CHILD PREDATOR?

Roll Call says "at least four Republican House Members, one senior GOP aide and a former top officer of the House were aware of the allegations about Foley that prompted the initial reporting regarding his e-mail contacts with a 16-year-old House page. They include: Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.) and Reps. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.), as well as a senior aide to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and former Clerk of the House Jeff Trandahl."

It's true that the Republican members of the Page Board knew about this, but they specifically did not inform the Democratic member.

This never reached the Page Board per se.  It was covered up by the Republican members of the Page Board, making their inaction a error of both comission and omission.

"Why do I get the feeling this will be immediately swept under the rug?"

Because you are delusional. If this were the Best of All Worlds the 2006 mid-terms would turn on the issues of the criminal malfeasance of the Iraq War and the assorted attacks of the 1600 Crew on the Constitution. Huge issues of enormous historical import are in play, serious people are using serious words like "fascism" to describe current policies of the current administration and in my view are right to do so. Man it would be so sweet to take these guys down on the merits. On the other hand smart and principled is hard and sleazy sex coverup is easy and I am tempted to just take this peach off the ground, wash it off and call it good.

I want my country back. And while I would prefer to win it back with high minded arguments and ideals, at this point I just want control of the keys. Do I want to open the door on the huge GOP closet? Not particularly, though the hypocrisy among Republican leadership is stunning. Does it really bother me that the RNC chair Mehlman spells 'mandate' as dinner for two? Nope, as far as I am concerned Ken, Pete and Lindsey can spend their weekends as they wish and invite Mark along. But if you think I am going to shed a tear for the self-hating closeted GOPers you have another think coming.

From Hastert's Web site:

"Hastert spent the first 16 years of his career as a government and history teacher at Yorkville High School ... In addition to teaching, he coached football and wrestling"

'Nuff said.