As Republicans flounder in fear and loathing as a result of the Foley scandal, they’re looking for someone, anyone, to blame except themselves.

One group of GOP’ers “smell a rat” and think that the way the information about the scandal came out at the most damaging time possible and then dribbled out over the course of days smacked of left-wing opportunism. Politicians from Dennis Hastert to Katherine Harris have gone on the record trying to put the spotlight on Democrats (!) instead of on themselves.

In case they hadn’t noticed, Democrats are not in power on the Hill. This scandal is all about the *GOP’s* complete inaction in the wake of years’ worth of evidence of Foley’s wrongdoing. Even if the “left wing conspiracy” is true it doesn’t absolve the GOP leadership one iota of its gross incompetence.

Republicans probably also don’t appreciate the irony of claiming a left wing conspiracy after deriding Hillary Clinton for claiming a right wing conspiracy during the Lewinsky scandal. In that case, although it’s true that Bill did his thing in the Oval Office, it was blown vastly out of proportion by the Republicans–as their failure to convict him and as American’s attitudes about the scandal at the time demonstrated. Now we have a situation that was entirely brought on by the GOP leadership and that has drawn complete condemnation across the entire political spectrum from left to right, among both politicians and ordinary citizens. To claim a vast conspiracy for the GOP’s downfall in the scandal is simply laughable.

Yet another way the GOP is trying to blame Democrats, in this case indirectly, is by claiming that the culture of permissiveness towards homosexuals encouraged by Democrats discouraged the GOP leadership from acting more aggressively. As I’ve written before this argument depends on there being a relationship between homosexuality and Foley’s actions, which research has shown to be patently non-existent. But more to the point, it’s just another way of trying to blame someone, anyone–Democrats, the culture, whatever–for something that lies squarely on the shoulders of GOP leaders.

And really, who on Earth could claim that the GOP leadership is “culturally tolerant?” This party has been ruthless in advancing an anti-gay agenda for six years, from sponsoring anti-marriage amendment efforts federally and in many states to refusing to pass the gay Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

I have no doubt that had Foley been inappropriately contacting young girls instead of young boys that the whole matter would have been kept just as quiet. Why? Because this is not about cultural permissiveness, it’s about keeping power at any cost.

Time has an excellent quote in its new article about the breaking of GOP dominance that appears to be taking place: Every revolution begins with the power of an idea and ends when clinging to power is the only idea left. What a perfect way to describe a calcified party with nothing left but its burning desire to cling to power, even if it means that children are thrown under the bus in the process.

Tags: 2006-election, corruption, foley, gay-marriage, homophobia, homosexuality, mark-foley, republicans