Seems like the Republicans are taking another hit with a series of new scandals and as the Mark Foley incident unfolds no one knows how much this will affect the polls. Saying that the recent disclosures pertaining to Republican Foley, representing Florida’s District 16 in the U.S. Congress is hypocritical is a gross understatement.

Foley resigned from Congress last week after ABC News published sexually provocative e-mail and instant messages he sent to teenage male pages. Now the Republican Party, the FBI, the media and other investigative bodies are sifting through files and various sources to get to the bottom it – and so the finger pointing begins.

Up to press time Kirk Fordham, a top aide to Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y started fingering Republican congressional leaders, accusing them of “trying to shift the blame on me,” and tendered his resignation Wednesday. He said he told House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s office about former Rep. Mark Foley’s sexually driven communication with teenage pages more than three years ago, long before officials have acknowledged becoming aware of the issue. Fordham, said he was resigning and speaking out to rebut implications that he interceded with Republican leaders to protect Foley whom he worked with prior to Reynolds.

Meanwhile, Reynolds, a member of the Republican leadership, is struggling to avoid political fallout amidst allegations that he was told about Foley’s e-mail messages to a Louisiana page last year.

I am sure the story will continue to unfold.

Imagine Foley is the same political leader who stood out as the one leading the fight against despicable Internet predators luring underage children in sordid sexual acts. Now, Foley is the same Republican conservative, caught with his ‘hands on his own keyboard’ sending a series of explicit e-mails, subtly eliciting young male pages, working in the page program (an intern system) in Congress. Ironically, this is the page program that Foley himself staunchly supported.

People, whether they are politicians, teachers, members of the clergy, or whomever, do have a right to their sexual preferences, but these preferences should be limited to their private, confidential lives. These preferences should be harnessed and not allowed to be so powerful that they cast tentacles that reach out to the innocent, especially the youth, including young interns who are seeking to be positively influenced by the leaders of their country.

When a politician, teacher, clergyman or whomever entrusted with young impressionable minds begins to feel the urgings of their sexual preferences growing so powerful that they conflict with their public role, forcing them to act on them, then they must be humble, sensible, and brave enough to demit that public office. Step away and seek help, and stop preying upon the innocent. Perhaps, in this way we could sympathize with, and still have some respect for, them.

We cannot find any sympathy for such individuals when they continue to play the hypocrite, as in the case of now ex-Congressman Foley. Because of his blatant hypocrisy Foley has let down his constituents, his political associates, his country, and his family. This, while making this grand stand of fighting for the rights of the innocent against Internet predators, when he like a mole was targeting the very same innocents he was professing to protect. That’s shameful and unforgivable. All this hypocrisy is really becoming unbearable.

STATE OF DENIAL

But there is still more embarrassment facing the current administration whose ratings again seem to be plummeting. Suddenly, the integrity of all of Washington’s leadership is under the spotlight. Bob Woodwards’s book, “State of Denial” has, once again, cast doubts on the truthfulness of the White House – the president, secretary of defense, secretary of state, vice president and, in fact, all the president’s men with regards to their election mantra -- National Security.

Woodward has made accusations, and as to be expected there is denial from the White House. The book alleges the administration ignored early warnings about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States based on interviews with senior administration officials. According to Woodward on July 10, 2001, two months before the 9/11 attacks, then Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet called a special high-level meeting based on indications of an impending al-Qaida strike in the United States -- a meeting which former White House Terrorism Advisor Richard Clarke says he attended.

Woodward’s allegations were that Condoleezza Rice, then National Security advisor brushed off the warning.  But, Rice says she does not recall any such meeting and none was reported to the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist attacks.

However, Woodward has countered with verifications in print to authenticate the allegations in his book, which does not preclude him from being next ‘sacrificial lamb’ as the White House will undoubtedly continue to undermine his credibility, especially with the looming Mid Term elections.

And so the saga continues.

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