Demagogue

Sydey Blumenthal nails it.

As the Republicans demonized gays for partisan advantage, the party became the largest walk-in closet in Washington.

The fact that there *are* gay people in the GOP, working in GOP offices, can't be something that the GOP wants to talk about. Although I don't think they want to talk much about this either.

Republican leaders have known about Foley's preying on pages since at least 2001. As soon as hints of their coverup were revealed, they began falling over each other offering shifting and conflicting stories. The congressman first contacted by the parents of one page, Rep. Rodney Alexander, said he first informed Thomas Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Shortly after Reynolds learned about Foley, Foley gave the Republican committee $100,000. Speaker Dennis Hastert at first claimed he had learned about Foley only last week, but then admitted he had known for almost a year. Majority Leader John Boehner said he learned nearly a year ago and had passed on the information to the speaker, who told him, "We're taking care of it." In 2005, Foley said, "We track library books better than we do sexual predators."

The fact is that they knew, they put politics above the safety and well-being of young people who were put in their trust. Dave, a demagogue commenter, so aptly put it--

To me, the moral guilt stems from the fact that pages are considered wards of Congress and therefore every Congressman stands in loco parentis to every page. Special obligations apply to those who are in such a position with young people, schoolteachers, coaches, priests, scout leaders etc are expected not to use their position to exploit their charges.

First Foley broke The Trust that was given to him then other people contributed to furthe eroding that Trust. It's really not much more compliated than that.