Foley Case Shakes GOP
2006-10-04
Source: Los Angeles Times
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rss feedThe unfolding Capitol Hill sex scandal has upended the political world only five weeks before the midterm elections, escalating GOP worries that the party will lose control of one or both chambers of Congress.
Most immediately, Republicans have been plunged into a wrenching debate about whether heads need to roll in order to persuade voters that they are taking the case of former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) - who sent explicit messages to male congressional pages - seriously.
Republicans fear that the case could demoralize conservative supporters and undercut the party's claim to be a defender of morality.
As events continued to unfold Tuesday, Foley's lawyer said in a news conference that the lawmaker, who resigned Friday, had been molested by a clergyman when he was a boy. The lawyer also said that Foley was gay but denied that Foley ever had "inappropriate sexual contact with any minor."
President Bush - campaigning for Republicans in California - said he was "disgusted" and "dismayed" by the Foley case, which already seemed to be having an effect on voters.
A Wall Street Journal survey released Tuesday found that two issues - the House sex scandal and the war in Iraq - had made Americans less favorable toward continued GOP control of Congress. It also showed a decline in Bush's job approval rating to 39% from 42% earlier this month.
Some conservatives are calling for J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to resign as speaker of the House, charging that he failed late last year to adequately investigate a complaint about Foley that at the time might have brought his behavior to light.
But other Republicans rallied behind Hastert on Tuesday, and warned that a leadership upheaval would make matters worse.
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