With the illusion of moral authority shattered, the GOP will once again attempt to redirect public attention from its administrative incompetence. Ex-Rep. Mark Foley, chairman of the Office of Missing and Exploited Children, attempting to exploit the young himself is a major PR hit for the majority party. When we discover Republican leaders knew about his transgressions for months and did nothing besides protect one of their own, it becomes a stark metaphor of the GOP's inability to defend the weak.
The evidence of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., having knowledge of the explicit e-mails Foley sent to high school volunteers continues to accumulate as GOP leaders point fingers and blame their underlings. It should worry Americans that their government's first response to exploitation is not only to be complicit in a cover-up, but to refuse knowledge of the evidence to set up a future claim of plausible deniability. Even worse than failing to act on this information is the GOP hiding it from Democrats on the House Page Board and continued refusal to allow Democrats to participate in the investigation.
When the speaker of the House blames his staff for a shoddy investigation, we must remember the duty of lawmakers to be competent administrators. The ability to provide a basic level of oversight transcends partisan politics and touches the heart of what governance is all about. If the GOP is really going to blame this scandal on low-level staffers, the public should take it as an admission of incompetence when it comes to running their own offices.
Who will be there for us when a future administration wields executive power with the rhetoric of fear? Who will ask the unpopular questions like why, how and to what end? If our government ever works against the civil interests of its own people, can we trust these guys not to roll over and beg for a treat, not to be infatuated by power? These are the questions that should determine how we vote.
The same philosophy should be applied to Wisconsin's gay marriage amendment debate. If we don't trust our neighbors and friends because of irrational fears based on a broken common culture that tricks us into accepting the fallacy of our perfect two-parent homes — and perverts the reason for its success from unconditional love to the bond between a man and a woman, how are we ever going to elevate ourselves and the less fortunate around us? How can we grow as a people if our roots lay stagnant in a carefully constructed fairy tale?
The exploitation of the weak for narrow gain, whether it be concealing Mark Foley's exploitation of congressional pages or an irrational campaign against gay rights, belittles voters and our nation's accomplishments.
It seems our leaders are cursed to be as good as the worst and tolerate the bad until careers are damaged. Like the GOP feels entitled to power, we feel entitled to our illusions of the past when it becomes all we have to believe in. While it is a theme of human history, we cannot continue to scapegoat the weak for our mistakes, whether through our government or personally. That is why the attempt to redirect our unease with the evolution of society and culture to an amendment against gay marriage is so transparent. If we amend our souls and the idealistic vision of freedom that bonds us as Americans, we will become ideologically broke.
This Republican Congress has consistently put self-preservation over the needs of the American people. One thing that won't be lost in the white noise of campaign rhetoric is the inability of congressional leadership to offer some semblance of control within its own offices.
So it is no surprise congress did not follow President Bush's advice on a comprehensive plan for immigration reform and went with the 700 miles of fencing instead. After all, the Bush brand of politics trained them for it. It is no surprise the GOP continues to scapegoat gays to win elections and it is no surprise that Rep. Hastert would ignore the principles of his moral majority in his tireless effort to maintain power. Now that voters can see the depths of Foley's perversion, the GOP will be forced to answer questions such as, "Is denial and the delegation of blame your only response to adversity?"
Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.
