there is a BIG difference between 16 and 19.

This would depend a lot on which state you're from. Most especially Tennessee where the age of consent is 14.

I didn't abandon this thread, I promise, and I'll come back tomorrow to leave proper responses, but I need to say this:

I don't think that he molested anyone. Those kids were prolly knockin' boots with someone already.....he was just stupid, and he got caught.

"Sheesh, I know one becomes a LEGAL adult at 18, but the way some of you talk, anyone a few months shy of that is an innocent babe, the corruption of which makes you a bad, BAD person."

Oddly, the age of consent in DC, even for sodomy, is 16. That happens to be the exact age of the pages in question, doesn't it? Anyone else find it odd that people who fight to lower the age of consent now believe Foley is a child molester?

As for rehab, it isn't as dumb as it seems. When you enter rehab you are basically quarantined for 30 days. It gives him a pass on dealing with it until it blows over and all the pundits have ran out of breath. They know voters have short attention spans.

It is funny how entering rehab has become the donation to charity of the 21st century. I wonder what we're going to get next decade? Joining the scientologists and becoming an acolyte of the Miracle Baby?

It does seem to be the excuse de jour - and that's why I'm saying it's transparent.

 

No other action was taken and that is how this becomes a condemnation of not one individual Republican but the Republican leadership

Exactly.  They KNEW, yet they did nothing.  It's only when the public and the press get wind of what went down that people start calling it a 'problem'.  It pisses me off.

 

This would depend a lot on which state you're from

Yep.

Many of these "children" have been having sex for years, (and with partners older than themselves.) Lets not confuse legality with reality.

Exactly. 

 

Anyone else find it odd that people who fight to lower the age of consent now believe Foley is a child molester?

Yeah....one minute they're wanting to lower the age to 16, yet the next they're decrying him as a pedophile. It's sickening.

 

As for rehab, it isn't as dumb as it seems. When you enter rehab you are basically quarantined for 30 days. It gives him a pass on dealing with it until it blows over and all the pundits have ran out of breath. They know voters have short attention spans.

I'm not saying it's dumb, I'm saying it's transparent.  It's OBVIOUSLY a ploy to not only delay him having to deal with it, but also an excuse so the general public might be placated - he's admitting he's got a 'problem', and they see him dealing with it.  The thing is, he doesn't have a 'problem', not in the addiction sense, anyway.  He got the hots for some 16 year old ass, and he couldn't resist coming on to them.  It was a 2 way street; there was some reciprocation and that encouraged him to continue and even to escalate his behaviour.  Then he got caught.......and all of a sudden, he's an alcoholic who needs to go to rehab.  It's pathetically see-through, and people who believe it are either blinded by their partisanship or....well, I'm not going to go there.

oh, getting back to some facts (remember facts?), the 19 being the age of monica is wrong. apparantly someone got that from sean hannity as he was the one who misreported it and has not retracted it, in fact has repeated it.

monica was 22

..and still what, 30 years younger than Bill? You feel there is a huge difference between 18 and 22? OR maybe, just maybe, you think there's a difference betwen a male senior hitting on a young woman and a male senior hitting on a young man?

The fact that you equate, nay, downplay the cigar event as compared to text IM makes me wonder what about this is aggrivating the circumstance. Dems have screwed 16 year old campaign workers, trying to recruit 15 year olds at the same time, been jailed, and went right back to working with Jesse in politics. Where's the outrage from the press, and you, there?