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FOX "News" Identifies Disgraced GOP Gov. Sanford as "Democrat"

FOX "News" continues to operate in an alternative universe, especially when a Republican falls out of favor. Disgraced South Carolina Republican Gov. Mark Sanford was identified as a "Democrat" at his afternoon press conference. Media Matters reports the right-wing cable news channel "later correctly identified" the governor as a Republican.

Mark Foley and John McCain are among the many other Republican politicians whose party identification was switched on-air.

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Case Closed: No State or Fed Charges Against Mark Foley

This is no surprise. Mark Foley, the disgraced Florida Republican who resigned his congressional seat after sending sexually explicit e-mail and instant messages to teenage pages, gets to use his "Get Out of jail for Free" card and will not face any state or federal charges. The reason: Authorities cannot authenticate the chats.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also said in an investigative report that too much time had passed since the February 2003 messages to bring any charges.

"There did not appear to be probable cause that a crime was committed," the report said.

The report also noted that a federal investigation was closed in July. A senior Justice Department official confirmed Friday that prosecutors advised Foley's attorney in July that the former congressman would not face federal charges. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

Authorities note the well-publicized case took so long to close "because Foley refused to allow investigators to examine his congressional computer hard drives. The computers and their contents are protected as privileged material, and only Foley could release them." Yet another case of a Republican taking a stand for privacy and suspect's rights—only when they are the suspect.

The disgraced and semi-closeted Florida Republican resigned from Congress in 2006 after confronted with sexually charged e-mails and instant messages—"Are you wearing your boxers? Is it hard?"—reportedly sent to male Capitol Hill pages. A report by the House Ethics Committee found House Republican leaders "failed for a decade to protect male pages from sexual come-ons by Foley." Activists and bloggers lane Hudson and Mike Rogers were largely responsible for pushing this story to the mainstream media.

FL Authorities Cannot Prove Foley Case [AP]
Foley Will Not Face Any Charges [WaPo]

The Background ...
Report: Republicans Negligent in Foley Scandal [R20]
UCC Slams Fundies [R20]
Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims [R20]
Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays [R20]
Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" [R20]
Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" [R20]
GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up [R20]
Congressman Resigns [R20]

News: Florida Dems, Mark Foley, Aretha Franklin, Michael Sandy

· Democratic National Committee votes unanimously "to refuse to seat any Florida Democrat at the Democratic presidential convention in 2008 if the state party did not delay the date of its [January 29] 2008 primary." The Michigan Democratic Party could be affected next.

· Mark Foley, the disgraced Florida Republican who resigned his congressional seat after sending sexually explicit e-mail messages to teenage pages, is unlikely to face criminal charges.

· Health concerns force the iconic Aretha Franklin to cancel her much-anticipated, Sept. 1 scheduled performance at Atlanta Black Gay Pride. SoVo reports the 65-year-old Queen of Soul cited the "hot summer temperatures" and recently cancelled an outdoor Detroit performance for the same reason.

· Arkansas: Proposed referendum that would bar gays and lesbians from adopting children is submitted to the state attorney general. Last week a federal court stuck down an Olahoma law that effectively invalidated adoptions by same-sex coupl

· Wikipedia on the vicious robbery and assault of Michael Sandy, who ran into Brooklyn traffic to escape his assailants: "Sandy’s death also brought back to public attention the death of Michael Griffith, an African American man who was killed after being hit by a car in Howard Beach, Queens, New York, while trying to escape a group of attackers."

· Terrance Heath on that comparison to Michael Griffith: "Sandy’s case didn’t get the kind of response from black civil rights leaders and organizations that the Howard Beach case did. For that matter, Sandy’s death didn’t get the same level of attention as Matthew Shepard’s. Neither, for that matter, did Arthur Warren or Sakiah Gunn."

Friday Surprise: Tony Snow to Resign as White House Press Sec'y

Another day and another high-profile resignation from the White House. Press Secretary Tony Snow says "financial pressures" have forced him to resign.

He declined to say when he would depart, but that, "I'm going to stay as long as I can."

The 52-year-old Snow, the father of three children, earns $168,000 as an assistant to the president but made considerably more as a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio.

CNN reports on The Situation Room that Snow will depart at the end of the month with outgoing political advisor Karl Rove. Both are seen above.

Snow has undergone chemotherapy for a recurring bout with cancer and it is expected the regimen will intensify. Snow also has three teenage children and probably wants to hit the lucrative lecture circuit to ease the financial burdens of college tuition.

This has been a banner week for Republicans to throw in the towel. In the past two days, two former House leaders have also called it quits: Ohio's Deb Pryce and former Speaker Dennis Hastert (above)—both were implicated in covering up the Mark Foley scandal and Lane Hudson wryly notes that Hastert's do-nothing legacy should be "enabling a sex predator." Undoubtedly, both have very realistic views of the GOP's chances of regaining the majority in 2008 and has prefer not to spend another two years in the minority.

Snow to Leave White House Before Bush [Forbes]
Pryce Won't Run Again [Post Dispatch]
Hastert to Retire [News for the Left]

Did You Read ... ?
Monday Surprise: Karl Rove "Resigns" [R20]
Report: Republicans Negligent in Foley Scandal [R20]
Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims [R20]
Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays [R20]
Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" [R20]
Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" [R20]
GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up [R20]

Florida Prosecutors May Bring Criminal Charges Against Disgraced Congressman Mark Foley

Six months after resigning from Congress in disgrace, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) remains the subject of a criminal investigation for his now-infamous sexually explicit Internet communications with underage boys.

Foley has not been charged, but that may change. ABC News' Brian Ross reports that Florida prosecutors are attempting to build a criminal case against the predatory former congressman, who is beginning to "re-emerge publicly in Palm Beach" after spending time at an Arizona rehabilitation center for what his lawyer described as "issues involving substance and his own alleged sexual abuse as a minor."

According to Ross, Foley was seen "last week bicycling along South Ocean Boulevard wearing a helmet and bike racing outfit."

As opposed to federal law, Florida makes it a crime simply to use lewd or explicit language "that is harmful to minors—and Foley's instant messages to former male pages discussed masturbation, oral sex and erections. "It's definitely still an active investigation," Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Kristen Perezluha said Wednesday.

You'll recall, a number of the then-Republican House leadership were implicated in covering up the Foley scandal .. . but a long-delayed "report" found "there was no violation of any House rules by any member or staff."

Foley Back From Rehab; FL Considers Charges [Raw Story]
Foley Page Investigation Continues [CBS News]

The Background ...

Report: Republicans Negligent in Foley Scandal [R20] UCC Slams Fundies [R20] Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims [R20] Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays [R20] Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" [R20] Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" [R20] GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up [R20] Congressman Resigns [R20]

Report: Republicans Negligent in Foley Scandal

On Friday, the House ethics committee finally released its long-anticipated report on the Mark Foley affair, concluding that while Republican lawmakers and aides "failed for a decade to protect male pages from sexual come-ons by Foley," they broke no rules and should not be punished. The New York Times called the report "a 91-page exercise in cowardice."

The 91-page report (full version here) harshly criticized outgoing-Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, "saying the evidence showed he was told of the problem months before he acknowledged learning of Foley's questionable e-mails to a former Louisiana page. It rejected Hastert's contention that he couldn't recall separate warnings from two House Republican leaders."

The investigation found that House leaders were "negligent" and showed a "disconcerting unwillingness to take responsibility." However, Hastert says he is pleased with the findings because "there was no violation of any House rules by any member or staff."

Full committee report here.

Panel: GOP Negligent in Foley Scandal (AP)

Desperately Seeking Ethics (NYT)

More Mark Foley:

What Foley Report? (Rod 2.0) UCC Slams Fundies (Rod 2.0) Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims (Rod 2.0) GOP "Attack Dog" Outed (Rod 2.0) Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays (Rod 2.0) Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" (Rod 2.0) Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" (Rod 2.0) GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up (Rod 2.0) Congressman Resigns (Rod 2.0) GOP Rep. Emails 16 YO Boy (Rod 2.0)

News: What Foley Report?, Anti-Gays for Lieberman, Rumsfeld

· The House ethics committee investigating the Mark Foley cover-up will not produce a report until after the elections. "The lack of a report leaves voters to sort through conflicting Republican accounts in deciding whether GOP leaders failed to protect teenagers in their care."

· WaPo says House Republicans have already tossed in the towel and are playing the blame game. "House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's future is in doubt even if the Republicans retain control of the House because of unease among GOP lawmakers about his handling of the Foley page scandal and what a House ethics committee investigation might conclude about him." LOL. If they really want to point fingers, just look down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House ... as well as their own unquestioned loyalty to the man who lives there.

· New Haven: A coalition of Latino clergymen known for their fierce opposition to gay rights is supporting Sen. Joseph Lieberman's re-election campaign. The group said the senator’s opposition to gay marriage contributed to their endorsing him: “We will not support a candidate that will go against the values of the traditional family as we know it and the Bible teaches us.” (via Pam Spaulding)

· It's unanimous. Rumsfeld must go. Editorials in the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times: “It is one thing for the majority of Americans to think Rumsfeld has failed. But when the nation’s current military leaders start to break publicly with their defense secretary, then it is clear that he is losing control of the institution he ostensibly leads.”

How Low Will They Go? Republican Ntl Committee's Racist Bimbo Ad

The Republican National Committee is very very concerned that Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr. may actually become the next senator from Tennessee. Watch this closely. The racist appeal of Harold Ford having sex with blonde bimbos is actually focal point:

Okay, so we figured out that most of those faux man on the street interviews are proxies for Republican talking points. The hunter "interviewed" jokes about gun control, another person is peeved about terrorists and privacy, senior citizens are concerned about paying taxes after they die (vis a vis estate taxes), and, there is that throwaway line about Canada and North Korea.

So why is the blonde with no visible clothes on vamping, "I met Harold at the Playboy Party"? What is this policy initiative? Why does the advertisement end with her winking at the camera and asking Ford to call?

There is no talking point associated with the bimbo—only the age-old stereotype that black men are oversexed and lust after white women. For decades, the GOP has race-baited—especially in the South. Last year, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman apologized to the NAACP: "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong."

Last year Mehlman was against them, this year he is for them. After being missing in action during the last few weeks of Foleygate, Mehlman came out of the closet office to say, "I don’t have the authority to take it down or put it up. It’s what called an independent expenditure."

Although the authorization line says, "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement," Mehlman offers a novel interpretation of campaign finance law to say this means absolutely nothing. Thanks for explaining that, Kenny. (Wink) "Call Me!"

Tennessee Mud: Of Porn and Substance (NYT)

Is Kenny Mehlman Kidding (Crooks and Liars)

RNC Chief Says it Was Wrong to Exploit Race (WaPo)

Did Geoge and Jeb Bush Know About Foley's "Problem" in 2004?

After making several prominent appearances with disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley since the beginning of the Bush administration, White House staffers suddenly kicked the Florida congressman to the curb in 2004. "Have I done something to offend the White House? ... I am always getting the shaft," Foley asked Gov. Jeb Bush in a September 29, 2004 e-mail. Foley complained to the governor that he was not allowed to accompany the president on post-hurricane visits to Foley's district in Florida, although other local lawmakers had been invited.

Wonder why the president had a change of heart and began avoiding photo ops with the congressman? Even more interesting, why did Foley send a cryptic message to Jeb Bush on October 3, 2005—"I need your thoughts on something"—which was just about the same time his freaky emails became known among fellow House Republicans.

More Mark Foley:

UCC Slams Fundies (Rod 2.0) Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims (Rod 2.0) GOP "Attack Dog" Outed (Rod 2.0) Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays (Rod 2.0) Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" (Rod 2.0) Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" (Rod 2.0) GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up (Rod 2.0) Congressman Resigns (Rod 2.0) GOP Rep. Emails 16 YO Boy (Rod 2.0)

Republican BABE of the Week!

Is anyone familiar with Amy Holmes?

Caught her on Larry King Live last night, didn't know that she used to host a show at BET and was recently named a "Republican BABE of the Week!" Apparently, Holmes is a former speech writer for outgoing Sen. Majority Leader Bill "We Need to Ban Gay Marriage" Frist (R-TN) and is fast becoming the go-to black Republican on the talk show circuit. Like most GOP operatives, she stays on message—something liberals badly need to learn—but it was totally ridiculous for her to accuse Democrats and liberals of linking homosexuality to pedophilia.

Amy, dahling. Just make sure you tell that to your friend Newt Gingrich and others at the Family Research Council and the Wall Street Journal.

Larry King Live: Midterm Elections '06 Transcripts and Video

More Mark Foley and Bill Frist:

UCC Slams Fundies (Rod 2.0) Blame Gays, Clinton and the Victims (Rod 2.0) GOP "Attack Dog" Outed (Rod 2.0) Foley Latest: Blame it on the Gays (Rod 2.0) Vast "Liberal Conspiracy" (Rod 2.0) Repubs Wanted to Avoid "Gay Bashing" (Rod 2.0) GOP Leaders in Foley Cover-Up (Rod 2.0) Congressman Resigns (Rod 2.0) GOP Rep. Emails 16 YO Boy (Rod 2.0) Bill Frist on Gay Marriage (Rod 2.0) "Marriage is Critical to Our Society" (Rod 2.0)