The GOP can't hide the Foley story, so they want to change the context.

They don't want anybody to think about the fact that a 55 year old man was sending suggestive e-mails and IMs to 16 and 17 year olds.

Gingrich and Co. want to make this an issue of Foley's homosexuality in an attempt to paint his accusers and attackers of homophobia. His homosexuality has nothing to do with it. If he had been sending this kind of stuff to a consenting adult, it's doubtful we'd ever know about it. If it did come out, the only people who would likely care would be right-wingers.

Nor is this "just the same" as the Lewinsky scandal, as some in the conservative media would like you to believe. This is something the Republicans often accuse Democrats of: moral relativism. "Hey, they did it. That means it's okay for us to do it." The problem is, it doesn't hold up. Monica Lewinsky was a twenty-two year old consenting adult who, by all indications, pursued a relationship with President Clinton. If President Clinton had been fooling around with a 16 or 17 year old, the comparison would be apt.

It's not going to end there. Some GOPers are already, in typical bizarro fashion, blaming the Democrats. This story has legs; the justifications and accusations are going to carry on for a long time.

These guys are magicians. They're trying to get you to watch their right hand while their left hand palms the coin. Don't fall for it. Don't let others fall for it.