I fully excuse Mark Foley's behavior.

Of course I don't. I just needed something to keep things fresh. Sarada went a long way to reading my mind when she posted her take on the Foley situation and Graham might have the record for longest post ever with his manifesto on it. What more is there to say? How to "advance the ball" in the discussion as my PR prof used to say?

I remember sitting at my computer when the story began to break. Before I knew what happened, Foley's alleged missives went from an request for a picture to "What are you wearing?" and "Do I make you horny?" (Austin Powers was how many years ago?) to, supposedly, an exchange that suggests that ABC's dramatization of Foley typing one-handed was dead on. I certainly don't excuse Foley's behavior. In my opinion, the dynamics of power and authority should never be mixed with sex. I remember finding it a bit distasteful back in college when Resident Assistants hooked up with their residents. Even shenanigans within a power dynamic as insignificant as that one felt wrong to me. Certainly boss-employee, professor-student, and Congressman-page are all pairs where sexual relationships are inappropriate. (If you haven't yet, go back and read Sarada's post because I really do agree with her 100% on this issue.) Still, is it ok for people to call him a pedophile and a child molester?

I'd say that it isn't.

As Sarada pointed out, there's a big difference between people who sexually abuse little kids and what Mark Foley did. According to reports, Foley's "victims" were at least 16, with some being 17 and even 18. Well, DC law defines a child as "a person who has not yet attained the age of 16 years." D.C. Code § 22-4101. The age of consent in many states, including our non-state (thank you, Mr. Colbert) of DC, is 16. Most other states put the age of consent at 17, with only 6 states (Arizona, California, North Dakota, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin) with an age of consent of 18 that applies to everyone. (Some states have an age of consent of 18 but a lower age -- sometimes as young as 14 -- applies when the age gap between partners is small, or when the older partner is below a certain age.)

I hate to sound like a Republican (holy shit, I sound like a Republican) but is what Mark Foley did really that different than what Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky? Now, you might tell me that there's a huge difference between a 22-year-old and 16-year-old. And I would agree. You might also say that Clinton only did what he did with Monica (that we know of), while Foley was casting a pretty wide net. I'd continue to agree.

But then I'd say, isn't there a big difference between obscene IMs and sticking a cigar in someone's vagina? The thing is, I can't help but wonder how this would be different if a male Congressman had been found doing this to female pages. According to friends on the Hill -- and I'll use the vaguest terms because I don't know this firsthand and certainly don't want to slander anyone -- there was an old and now dead gentleman who worked there who was well known for touching all the young female employees' asses. And no one ever did anything about it. You'd bet your behind (tee!) that if Barney Frank is still in Congress when he's 90 and he starts getting fresh with the male legislative assistants in the elevator, shit would go down.

So, now picture for a minute that Rep. John Doe from Anystate was found having sent lascivious IMs to former female pages. Would there be a big to-do? Certainly. Would he be expected to resign? Probably. Would he be considered sleazy? Sure. Would he be labeled a "pedophile" and a "criminal?" I don't think so. I'll take this one step further and say that if it came out that Rep. JANE Doe from Anystate was found having similar IMs with male pages, it would still be surprising and blameworthy, but no one would use the words "sexual deviant" or "pedophile." (Not to mention how Congresswoman Doe would probably have a wing of Congress named after her if she were discovered sending similar messages to a female page.)

You might disagree with me. You might say that the same exact thing that's happening to Foley now would happen to my faux Congresspeople above. Who knows? I certainly don't for sure, but I can't help but wonder. And wondering out loud, I've found, is sometimes what it takes to advance the ball.

. . .

(Ball, people. B-A-L-L. Not balls. Your anticipated immaturity shocks me.)