To Shays: You Already Did...

What Shays says now:

Shays reiterated his views Tuesday and added that he would not vote for any leader who "knew or should have known about Mark Foley's conduct." Shays' stance satisfied American Family Voices. "Our goal was to have Congressman Shays do what he did," said spokeswoman Hayley Zachary.

--- The Hartford Courant

The problem here is that GOP House leadership has known about Foley's immoral behavior for at least 5 years.

FACT: GOP staff, working for Republican Speaker Denny Hastert, warned the page class of 2001-2002 to stay away from Foley - five years ago.

FACT: Former chief of staff to GOP Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY), Kirk Fordham, says he warned Hastert's chief of staff of Foley's behavior three years ago. Whether or not you believe Fordham, his testimony is consistent with the other facts showing that the Republicans knew about Foley's behavior long before last week.

FACT: Both Reps. John Boehner, the Republican House Majority Leader, and Tom Reynolds both say they told Dennis Hastert personally about the Foley issue months ago. Hastert says Boehner is lying. So one of the two most powerful Republicans in the House is lying about an investigation into a child sex predator. That deserves a separate investigation right there.

FACT: Hastert's staff was informed of the Foley emails a year ago, but Hastert would like us to believe his staff simply never told him that a member of Congress, a member of his leadership team, was under investigation for preying sexually on young children - children who Hastert was responsible for.

And finally, the Republicans would have us believe, yet again, that a 52 year old man sending emails to a 16 year old boy he doesn't even know, and talking to that boy about how his 16 year old friend has a great body, is somehow simply "overly friendly." That is absurd on its face.

--- John Aravosis at AMERICAblog

And in an effort to distract and dissemble right-wing-nut cheerleaders manage to get some more egg on their face:

I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you. That Drudge bamboozlement about the Foleygate cybersex IMs being a 'prank'. The kid's lawyer says Drudge's piece was "a piece of fiction."

-- Josh Marshall at Talking Point Memo

But the simple fact remains that YOU, Shays, have already voted for GOP House leadership that knew about Foley's transgressions and they have known for at least 5 years.

I am curious Shays...

Were you irresponsibly ignorant of the GOP Leadership you have already voted for?

OR

Were you willfully ignorant of the GOP leadership you have already voted for?

I won't even impugn your supposed "good character" by suggesting that you might, possibly, have known about Foley's problems personally... That would be irresponsible on my part.

BUT

Either fact suggests gross misjudgment on your part and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you continue to choose to run with the wrong crowd.

The immoral, corrupt GOP crowd.

So please don't tell me what you plan to do in the future or, more precisely, to cover your political ass because your past record already speaks for itself.

Shays, YOU have already voted for DeLay and Hastert…

Which corrupt and immoral GOP leader would you choose to vote for next?

Does it really matter what you say now?