Tom Maguire:

Does anyone seriously think that the Democrats can position themselves as the party of sexual restraint? The party that will be tough on gay men, straight men, or anyone else who gives off even a whiff of impropriety?

Please - this is not a bidding war the Democrats can win and I am reasonably certain that, after years of "sex is a private matter", it is not a war the Democrats want to start. That said, there is an election to be won, so for the next few weeks we will hear about sixteen and seventeen year old "children". And following the election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lead a crackdown on racy talk from and amongst Congressmen, their staffers, the interns, and the pages. Every rumor will be investigated promptly and thoroughly, and no PC will be left unseized. Whatever.

When are Republicans going to figure out that you have to separate scandals into what is justified, telling Foley to resign, and what is just their opponents trying to exploit it, the calls for Hastert to resign? They have to learn that this kind of stuff is SOP for the media and the Democrats and prepare for it. No matter what happens, what sleazy charge is made or secret is revealed, Republicans must not allow themselves to be hounded into a trap like calling for Hastert's resignation. This sort of thing happens and you can't always prevent it, although I do think that Hastert was let down by some of his aides, but you don't have to perform Sepuku to prove your honor. William Jefferson and Bob Menendez are both getting the benefit of the doubt. If they were Republicans you can bet you'd be hearing more about them in the press and one if not both would have resigned already.

The fact that there's a predictable chorus of condemnation shouldn't force you into giving in to hypocrisy, lies and innuendo. A lot of conservatives want to dump Hastert because he objected to the search of Jefferson's office, but he was defending a principle, not covering for Jefferson. Instead of forming up a circular firing squad, Republicans need to first find out all the facts they can, make sure that they don't get suckered by the slow leak of details by the media, and take appropriate action without getting rattled into trying to prove your honor to people who don't really care about honor or fairness.

While I'm on the subject, why can Frank Lautenberg get new ballots, and DeLay and Foley's replacement candidates have to run anonymously?