Rep. Foley (R) should be investigated by law officials, not the House!

The issue surrounding Rep. Marc Foley (R) of Florida's improper relationship with a House Page is very troubling indeed. Having read the email exchange between Foley and a 16-year-old boy, the matter should be investigated not just by the Republican controlled House Ethics Committee (or is it the Non-Ethics Committee), but also by the police and the District Attorney's office for the possibility of a crime committed on a minor. I have a friend whose daughter was a House Page this summer and I can only imagine what she is thinking about the risk her daughter was in, by serving as a Page. Other parents as well have good reason to worry, as it seems this problem was raised a year ago and the Republicans in charge of the investigation just asked Foley if he did anything wrong. Apparently Foley lied to them but it allowed the Republican investigators to not pursue the matter further. Can you imagine asking a rapist if they had done anything wrong, they say no, and the investigation is dropped? I think not!

This obviously is a cover-up and when the facts are known, I believe Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, will get tarnished too, for not protecting the Pages. This isn't the first time a problem has occurred with impropriety regarding a House Page. They were supposed to be protected and watched over, as their parents hoped they could trust those in charge to protect their children. They should have known it was too good to be true. What would otherwise have been a great experience to learn about our political system firsthand, these children learned that politicians are fallible too. Maybe that's a good lesson to learn.

Watch for the early denials of knowledge of the matter by Republican leaders in the House, the cover-up and then the media getting the real story out. Those that lie will be caught in their lies.