Absolved: The alcohol made me do it...

[Conan71]

I think he's going to re-register as a Democrat after re-hab so he can have the "hypocrite" label removed. [B)]

The additional pages coming forward still don't amount to a GOP cover-up conspiracy if the pages never told anyone about it.

I'd expect more to come forward, sounds like Foley thought the page program was some sort of buffet.

[papaspot]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

MAJOR BREAKING NEWS:

http://www.drudgereport.com/page.htm

FOLEY PAGE ASSOCIATE ADMITS MESSAGES WERE A PRANK...

We'll see where this goes.  Interesting that dots seem to be connecting here in Oklahoma.

The Drudge Report, iplaw? I thought you claimed that you didn't use right wing sources like Front Page and the Drudge Report?

[iplaw]

Hey...no one disputes Drudge nowadays.  Even the biggiest ABC and NBC have bowed to the Drudge as a competent news source.

[papaspot]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

Hey...no one disputes Drudge nowadays.  Even the biggiest ABC and NBC have bowed to the Drudge as a competent news source.

So the fact that ABC and NBC have bowed to it makes it unbiased and reliable? ABC and NBC (and all the others) will bow to anything that gets them a nice sensational story.

[Chicken Little]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588

Three more pages come forward ...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/three_more_form.html

Saw that, too.  It doesn't exactly sound like ABC is on the run, does it?  

Drudge's "story" is loosey-goosey, to say the least.  

Surely you two (IP and Conan) agree, right?  I think that we should continue to maintain those lofty standards that you guys demand from the other stories that don't quite fit through your square little earholes.[]  We shouldn't jump to conclusions until we see some actual "proof".

Aw, heck...go ahead and run with it.  I can't quite see how this "revelation" makes a difference with regard to how the GOP has mishandled this affair, but it sure is fun to watch you guys try to spin some yarn out of it.  You're far more creative than Hastert...really.  He's so 'Rush on goofballs'.

[papaspot]

Well, I think Foley ought to get a fair shake and a fair trial if there's reason for one. (Contrary to what you'd think from reading some of these posts, it ISN'T a foregone conclusion that he didn't do anything illegal. In fact...

"Both the FBI and Florida law enforcement have started preliminary inquiries, in advance of a possible full criminal investigation into whether Foley violated any laws. House officials have been ordered to "preserve all records" relevant to the matter."

Christian Science Monitor

Sure doesn't look to me like it's a forgone conclusion that he didn't do anything illegal.

But, as is usually the case, you get almost half the crowd chomping at the bit to hang him and the other half rushing to defend/excuse him. Right down party lines.

[papaspot]

By the way, that's from about four hours ago.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

MAJOR BREAKING NEWS:

http://www.drudgereport.com/page.htm

FOLEY PAGE ASSOCIATE ADMITS MESSAGES WERE A PRANK...

We'll see where this goes.  Interesting that dots seem to be connecting here in Oklahoma.

I hope the page has a good case against ABC and sues their pants off (no pun intended).

It sounds to me (if there is any truth to it) like the IMs were PART of a hoax.  The hoax was that the page (probabaly knowing foley was gay) lead Foley to believe that he, the page, was possibly gay or flirting or something to that effect. In other words he was leading Foley on, hoping to get him to say something that would get a good laugh.   The IMs that Foley sent weren't a hoax, the hoax was supposedly what the page was doing to get Foley to say something "incriminating".  If thats true then Foley probably though he was "getting somewhere" with the boy, but it was the boy that way playing him.  The IMs would still reveal bad behavior on Foleys part.  The IMs that Foley sent were real, the hoax was what the page was doing to get those IMs from Foley.   IF that slant is true. It could be that both sides are trying to play cover-up.

[AVERAGE JOE]

quote:
All three pages described similar instant message and e-mail patterns, with remarkably similar escalations of provocative questions.

"He didn't want to talk about politics," the page said. "He wanted to talk about sex or my penis," the page said.

The three new verbal accounts are in addition to two sets of sexually explicit instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

An online story on the Drudge Report Thursday claimed one set of the sexually explicit instant messages obtained by ABC News was part of a "prank" on the part of the former page, who reportedly says he goaded the congressman into writing the messages.

"This was no prank," said one of the three former pages who talked to ABC News today about his experience with the congressman.

source

[AVERAGE JOE]

iplaw and the rest of the right wing apologists might want to huddle up and come up with a new plan.

quote:
House Republican candidates will suffer massive losses if House Speaker Dennis Hastert remains speaker until Election Day, according to internal polling data from a prominent GOP pollster, FOX News has learned.

"The data suggests Americans have bailed on the speaker," a Republican source briefed on the polling data told FOX News. "And the difference could be between a 20-seat loss and 50-seat loss."

...While internal GOP polls show trouble for Republicans, the newest AP/Ipsos poll also showed that half of likely voters say the Foley scandal will be "very or extremely important" when it comes time to vote on Nov. 7. By nearly a 2-1 ratio, voters say Democrats are better at combating corruption.

source

[AVERAGE JOE]

So the page's parents release a statement calling their son a "hero". Still think this is a hoax?

source

[Bledsoe]

Ok let me see if I get this hoax thing straight--an 18 year old "Conservative Republican" former Page, aparently "knowing" that Foley is some pathetic old queen, gets him all hot and bothered during a cyber sex session just before a House vote in 2003.  The Page saves the IM text sessions and passes them around among his former Page friends so they can get their jollies.  Sounds like they are all pretty sick puppies here.

But then after ABC writes its first story one of these former Pages give the 2003 IM texts to ABC.

Foley thought it was real cyber sex, but if this is true the "Conservative Republican" former Page is no victim-he and his freinds should be ashamed.   Obviously they knew that Foley would take the bait--they must have known something as early as 2003.  Yet they told no one then, probably for the same reasons other Republican enablers protected Foley-preservation of power.

Now three non-hoax former Pages come forward with similar stories.  Some claim Foley wanted to trade housing for sex- a clear solicitation for prostitution which must certainly be a crime in DC regardless of the age of consent.

see:  http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/three_more_form.html

Where is the vast left-wing conspiracy?  In your wildest dreams!!!!!!

[Bledsoe]

And then there's this.  

Ex-Page's Lawyer: Drudge's "Prank" Story "A Piece of Fiction"

Be sure and read the DO story:

http://www.newsok.com/article/2951710

Jones said Edmund has done nothing wrong.

"Jordan was a minor when the alleged events described in the media occurred," Jones said. "He retained me ... to guide and assist him through a difficult investigative and media onslaught because he thought I might be able to help him."

See also:  http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001739.php

[Chicken Little]

Drudge has "updated" the "story".  It looks like it has been downgraded to a "claim", whatever that means.

Anyway, Drudge is crawdadding on this.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

So the page's parents release a statement calling their son a "hero". Still think this is a hoax?

source

Joe,

The page cited in the CNN article is the one he had the "friendly" exchange with which no one has disputed.  The "hoax" page is the man who now works for Istook's campaign.

Here's the sick/sad part, we are finding there are potentially so many involved that we will just have to assign numbers to them as they turn up so we don't confuse them all.

I can almost hear Foley upon greeting a new class of pages: "Oh look, what a sthmorgathboard!" [}:)]

Now, I'm curious to know why Nancy Pelosi doesn't want Louis Freeh to run an independent investigation, considering he's worked under both Republican and Democrat administrations (I believe nominated as a federal judge under Bush I and as elevated to FBI director by Clinton.)  She wants to handle it as an ethics committee issue.  

House ethics committee- now there's an oxymoron if I EVER heard one. [)] I can just see the closed door meetings from members of both sides trying to cover their a##es collectively.