A TPM reader nails it:
There's a weak excuse emerging from Republicans for Foleygate - they might have known about the e-mails to Rep. Alexander's page, but they never knew about the explicit IMs. Too much of the media coverage right now is centering on that question, as if knowledge of the IMs is the only way to show the leadership was remiss.
But that's irrelevant, and here's why: Once ABC got hold of the e-mails, it took them one day to flush out the IMs. That's what an actual investigation looks like. The Republican leadership simply didn't want to know how bad the Foley situation was. That's just as morally negligent as if they had started digging and found the IMs.
My guess is that most of the parents in America both understand and agree with this.
UPDATE: Oh good lord. It looks like the FBI knew about this problem months ago. Was there already an investigation underway, or did they too ignore the problem?
UPDATE II: One additional thought, for now at least.
It appears that Republican House leaders are going to fall back on an excuse that goes something like this: "We knew about the emails, but we didn't know about the IMs. So its not our fault."
Aside from the point made above, there's a second aspect of this that needs to be considered. Think of it from a parents point of view. If a sitting US Congressman sent those original "naughty emails" (as White House spokesman Tony Snow described them today) to your child, what would you want done? Would you be OK with House leaders looking the other way, or would you expect them to do something about it?
I think that question answers itself, doesn't it?
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