One and Only Post on Foley Scandal

I'm only going to deal with this topic once, because, despite the mainstream media obsession I don't really believe this is a national story. In fact, the story is the obsession.

The medial love these lurid stories a bit too much. You can almost see the joy on anchors' faces as they get to talk a sex scandal, hint at what is going on, and then piously declare that the details aren't 'appropriate for broadcast.'

This is really, or at least it should be, a law enforcement issue, and an issue for the districts of the members of Congress involved. Foley has resigned and a jury may decide his fate (and the media obsession only hurts the functioning of the judicial process). The role of any of the House leadership is for a jury and the members of their districts to pass judgment on. The young page is a victim and does not deserve to be outed or have his motives questioned by the talking heads of the evening cable news shows.

Most importantly, this is a tragic event, and perhaps a criminal one. It is not proper to treat this event as a political horse race issue. No journalists who spend their time asking/answering the question, "How does this affect the chances of the Republicans to maintain control of the Congress?" deserve to be considered serious journalists.

For the rest of us, this is merely a distraction. The list of important national issue we face is long. The fact that this current scandal could knock the war in Iraq/Afghanistan or nuclear crises brewing in Iran and North Korea out of the headlines is a national embarrasment.

GP