Mike Stark Interviews "Values Voters Summit" Attendees

OK, this is pretty funny. Blogger Mike Stark attempts to interview attendees of the "Value Voters Summit," pondering where such Republican luminaries as David Vitter, Bill O'Reilly, Mark Foley and others might be. After all, most of them have proclaimed to have these prized "values." Stark is admittedly confrontational, but I find it interesting that most of the people interviewed have no answers and are mostly just pissed off.

So, while I may not choose to be quite so overtly mean (most of the time), there's still something to be said for this technique. Be forewarned, parts of the audio are NSFW, but are quotes directly from O'Reilly. . .

Bill Maher: Mark Sanford's vs. Mark Foley's Lurid Prose

From this weekend's Real Time with Bill Maher, this clip has Bill comparing and contrasting Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and their styles of lurid writing to their respective objects of desire. Funny stuff.

Does Anyone Still Care about Mark Foley?

I don't really care about Mark Foley. He's one of many conservative idiots that has long been cast out. He was also one of the first of a modern wave of GOP sex scandals, something I usually enjoy reporting. But Foley liked to sexually harass (and who knows, possibly more) underage men/boys. He didn't just give a black eye to the Republicans, he solidified in some people's mind a link between pedophilia and homosexuality.

That's so totally not cool. While I might know that gay people are no more likely to be kiddie-chasers than straight people are, many people aren't aware of that. In fact, many people who don't like gay people are anxious to believe there is a link. Foley is just a sleaze bucket who just happens to (apparently) be gay also. So, while Foley whines about the damage this "indiscretion" has dealt his career, I can only lament the damage he's done to the perception of gays in society.

[Excerpt]



Foley: I’m not a pedophile because the pages were almost 18.

Today, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) finally broke his two-year silence after the revelations about his lurid IM conversations with congressional pages. Foley conceded that his behavior was “extraordinarily stupid,” but throughout the AP interview, he stayed on the defensive. . .

Read the rest at: Think Progress

GOP Sex Scandal: Foley Likely to Skate

Photo from source, ABCNews.com

Isn't it odd? On those rare occasions (OK, more often recently) when we catch a sleazy politician doing something sleazy, they somehow still get away with it. Kiddie-lovin' Mark Foley was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. . .but it was too long ago to "count." It doesn't mean he hasn't done the same more recently, only that he wasn't busted for it. Ah, well.

[Excerpt]

Foley Unlikely to Be Prosecuted; Lewd Internet Messages Too Old

Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley, whose e-mails and instant messages to teenage former congressional pages shocked the country, may avoid criminal prosecution in Florida because of the state's three-year statute of limitations.

Read the story at: ABCNews.com