home

A Silly Conspiracy Theory

By TChris, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 09:48:45 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

by TChris

The latest right wing conspiracy theory, floated by Rush "Gasbag" Limbaugh, holds that Rep. Foley was set up by the teenage boy with whom he chatted via IM, presumably at the behest of evil Democrats. Rush's proof: nobody saves IM transcripts unless they want to use them to bring down Republicans.

Entrapment is a difficult argument to make, given the content of the IM's. It's plainly Foley, not the kid, who persists in turning the conversation toward underage drinking and post-dinner activities. Rush's assertion is silly, but that's what we've come to expect.

More to the point, a free Wall Street Journal article explains that IM transcripts are easy to save. Keep that in mind if you decide to chat up teenagers via the internet.

Update: Another conspiracy debunked.

< Walking and Chewing Gum at the Same Time | Vote for the Sheriff You Know and Trust >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    A Silly Conspiracy Theory | 28 comments (28 topical)
    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:32:14 AM EST
    One can only conclude that Rush (and Drudge) have had their own "experiences" with their own juvenile sexpots. They feel used, hurt. These kids are just out for erotic blood, I guess.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:32:14 AM EST
    Nowhere have I seen except in the Monroe La News Star (their local paper) that the page is also receiving death threats. The victim! In most cases the arrest is made quickly. All you have to do is watch NBC as they have these guys arrrested with tape rolling. I also was thougth aiding and abeting was illegal, I guess if you are a GOP higher up it's not.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:32:14 AM EST
    Makes sense for Rush...remember this is the guy who blamed his doctor for his possesion of illegal prescription meds.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#4)
    by jarober on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:32:14 AM EST
    It's easy to save IM logs, but few people bother. I use IM all the time, and I've only once bothered to turn logging on - I expect that most users don't even know it's possible. Does this point to a conspiracy? Hardly. All I'm saying is, never assume that software features that exist are used, or even known of. I doubt most people know even 1/4th of the features of Microsoft Word, for instance.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:32:14 AM EST
    Again, does Rush have the same feelings about those on the dateline investigations that are targeted in the stings? Why is he not attacking NBC for its obvious goal of creating ad revenue at the expense of the men trying to "hook up" with underage kids? So silly.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:43:02 AM EST
    [ABC correspondent Brian] Ross dismissed suggestions by some Republicans that the news was disseminated as part of a smear campaign against Mr. Foley.
    "I hate to give up sources, but to the extent that I know the political parties of any of the people who helped us, it would be the same party," Mr. Ross said, referring to Republicans.
    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#7)
    by Byron Wayne on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:32:04 PM EST
    So when is Rush gonna blast Monica for keeping a stained dress and not washing it.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:32:04 PM EST
    So that's why Monica saved the dress, to entrap Clinton.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:32:04 PM EST
    An awful lot of folks are not right bright about the abilities computer programs have. I go to weekly meetings online whose minutes are IM logs. You would have to be pretty close to brain-dead not to know that logs can be kept. And yet people are "caught" all the time by logs, server records, caches. One should act as if online = on stage.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#10)
    by Slado on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:32:04 PM EST
    It is obvious that somebody sat on the IM's but I doubt it was ABC even though he had them in August. The problem with the Rush October suprise theory is that it's too early. If they intended to wait why wouldn't they have waited until late October or 1st week of November for Maximum effect? All that said the focus on Hastert is silly. He knew about the emails and spoke to Foley per the request of the kids parents. In and of themselves while obviously innapropriate they were not wroth dismissal, especially when compared to past sins of MA representatives and pages etc... The question is did Hastert know something else that we don't know or did he know about the IM's? That's like asking did Hillary know about Monica? Did Bush know about Plame? Etc... Meaning we'll never know and anyone who claims they do is simply being partisan. My problem with the whole matter is once all the facts where know Foley was gone. The rest is a which hunt and that TL bloggers are joining in only shows their hypocrisy when it comes to pre-judging anyone.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:38:45 PM EST
    It's been a while since I used AOL's IM software, but I'm pretty sure that the default setting was to automatically save all conversation text to the hard drive. I think if DIDN'T want your convos recorded, you had to manually go in and change it.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#12)
    by roy on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 12:59:44 PM EST
    Speculation about whether people usually save their IMs is irrelevant. Getting inappropriate messages from a congressman is a strange enough event to prompt one to do so, or at least strange enough that we shouldn't estimate the probability based on whether save their " 'HOW R U?' 'I M OK' " chats.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#14)
    by Sailor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 01:22:14 PM EST
    All that said the focus on Hastert is silly. He knew about the emails and spoke to Foley per the request of the kids parents. In and of themselves while obviously innapropriate
    the 'investigation' was telling the predator to back off ... that's not an investigation. You go to the full Page bi-partisan board and tell them to look into it. Then there was a coincidental donation of $100k by foley to the rncc after reynolds spoke to foley. no wonder they kept him around. Besides, they'd known for years about foley, and let him keep his job, contact with minors and dinner with pages.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#15)
    by Sumner on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 01:36:27 PM EST
    Americans have already been so conditioned by all of this religion masquerading as law, that they couldn't shake their prejudices now, if they consciously tried. The media has been in a non-stop hysteria mongering mode since it was realized that the mere specter of sexuality was more powerful than WMDs, torture, the presidency, law, rationality, war, Bill of Rights, you name it. Bush may be able to torture and dissemble into war, but he cannot go "lothario". He is not that powerful. Bush is no Caligula. Reason has an article contemplating some of these implications on the next election. They discuss Rove's October Surprise. Hint: it is either Iran or ultra-pedophobia. While John Mark Karr looked like a Rovian show, that was perhaps too obvious. But Foley! The Dems play right into the hysteria mongering. And certainly the Repubs are willing to sacrifice one of their own, or even more, in further quest for power. They don't even make a secret of the fact that they deliberately manipulate the voter's fears and prejudices. They brag about it. And our laws generally reflect that social convolution.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#16)
    by Slado on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 02:14:30 PM EST
    Good points Sailor. I guess it boils down to if you feel Hastert should have known or been more involved even if he only had the emails to go by and isn't the real person who lacked judgment Rep. Shimkus who ran the page program and would have had the most info? See attached NRO editorial. They take the most even veiw in my opinion. The hysteria to get Hastert mises Shimkus who was the one running the page program. linked text

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#20)
    by John Mann on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:12:29 PM EST
    Rush Limpballs is certifiable, no doubt about it. Funny, I used to think he got his talking points from the White House, but after six or so years of the current administration, I think it's the other way around.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:14:43 PM EST
    I think a lot of people knew what was going on, including Hastert. However, if all he had was that one set of emails, then, creepy as it was, this was not grounds for dismissing a Congressman. However, I'm not about to absolve the guy. No one ever goes quietly in Washington, yet when only that first set of "overly friendly" emails hit the press...Foley was out of there. I think this was clearly a pre-determined plan. I think the Republican leadership knew it might be worse than one set of "overly friendly" emails, so their "handling" of the situation was to make Foley pay a fine ($100k to RNCC), and promise that if it ever became public he'd go. But, now it's happened, and Hastert blew it. He lied and covered-up. I think he had a chance to salvage himself and the party. Immediately he should have gone public and said, "The appropriate House leaders and me were made aware of this set of emails. Sleezy as they are, it was not grounds to dismiss the Congressman. We thought we'd delved deep enough, but obviously we did not, and I deeply regret the matter was not more thoroughly investigated. I assure you, it will not happen again, and that this matter will be appropriately investigated." I think a lot of people would have whined and complained for a while, but that would have taken most of the sting out of it. Instead, the entire leadership has spent this week pointing in so many different directions (mostly at each other), that they must have tennis elbow by now. And after all that, Katherine Harris starts up about who "leaked" the emails, Denny Hastert now works 9/11 into the discussion, and Hannity tries to get it back to Bill Clinton and the Democrats who put the Pages up to it. Please, I hope we're not so far through the looking glass the American public now buys that sort of stuff.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#13)
    by chris on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:19:15 PM EST
    Republicans seem to be choosing one of two ineffective tactics: (1) Blaming the Democrats (even though many of the folks calling for Hastert et al to step down are REPUBLICANS) or (2) blaming the Victim and his parents. Fordham has chosen the former, while Limbaugh has obviously and unsurprisingly chosen the latter, more despicable option.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jen M on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:19:15 PM EST
    I save chat transcripts becase I want to tell a story once. I can paste and copy into my journal. I can also copy and paste phone numbers or addresses my friends might give me, or websites, or how to fix my computer or a special recipe, or.. Bringing down the republican party was never one of the reasons any of us save transcripts. Lack of imagination is not evidence of anything.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:19:15 PM EST
    I'm of the opinion the whole paige program should be suspended. I think there are better ways for kids to learn about government than fetching coffee for sleazy congressmen full time. I'd support the resignation of Hastert, Shumkus, and every member congress who was told about the first complaints and did nothing...regardless of party.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 04:01:39 PM EST
    Here's a more plausible conspiracy theory: Pagegate, Hookergate and Gannon-Guckert are not isolated scandals. Within the Republican Party is a cult where members are controlled by sex: The Psychosexual Control of Republican Politicians

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#24)
    by aw on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 04:59:34 PM EST
    The GOP is one sick party. Anybody who wants to make comparisons to Dems has their work cut out for them: Link

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 07:14:47 PM EST
    He was drunk He was lured He was abused Now: He was set up. You gonna stick with that excuse, Oxy, or are you looking for a better one? And the hits just keep on comin'!

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#22)
    by aw on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 07:14:47 PM EST
    I save chats with my son sometimes as a sort of memoir. I guess I'm nobody.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#25)
    by Aaron on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 08:39:57 PM EST
    CNN "Investigators have enough information to to warrant a full sex crimes investigation. But the attorney general is refusing to comment at this stage." Melanie Sloan brought the initial e-mails to the FBI in July of this year. She alleges the FBI dragged its feet, saying that the instant messages were found within 24 hours of those e-mails being turned over. So the FBI has been sitting on this information since July, I guess that blows the doors off the October surprise argument.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#26)
    by Sailor on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 07:19:57 AM EST
    I think a lot of people knew what was going on, including Hastert. However, if all he had was that one set of emails, then, creepy as it was, this was not grounds for dismissing a Congressman.
    No one suggested that. The point is they should have been enough to start an investigation by the Page board. The repub sponsored pages were warned for years to stay away from foley.

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 09:25:47 AM EST
    Sounds like the Republicans heard the old (sick) joke: Q: What's the leading cause of paedophilia today? A: Sexy kids Hey, don't blame me, I didn't write it...

    Re: A Silly Conspiracy Theory (none / 0) (#28)
    by diogenes on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 08:42:31 PM EST
    Again, if Hastert is guilty of something for not pushing forcefully when he had email messages, then what does that make Hillary when it came out about that other intern Monica?

    A Silly Conspiracy Theory | 28 comments (28 topical)