Mark Casey Online

Less than a week after senator Dodd spent hours filibustering the debate on the new FISA bill–which would have given immunity to the telecom companies who illegally turned over our private information to the government–the Democratic-led senate is doing it again.

Instead of going into the traditional holiday recess and allowing President Bush to appoint whatever judges and cabinet positions he wants without confirmation, a few worthy senators have opened session for a minute or so every day. They’re cheap tricks, but so are what they’re stopping–and they’re working.

Remember Mark Foley, the guy who was in charge of a senate committee on prosecuting sexual predators and pedophiles, who was embroiled in his own scandal last year for soliciting sexual conversation with his teenage staffers?  He claimed that his problem was “alcoholism,” promptly resigned and disappeared into rehab.

Well, Newsweek reports that one year later he’s openly gay and living happily in a Florida mansion with his longtime partner.  He’s said to be considering a new career in real estate.  It’s a suitably happy ending, but it’s still such a shame that he was hounded his entire time in office.

Since he first ran, he was badgered constantly about whether or not he was gay–since he was–and he called the questions “Revolting and unforgivable.”  It’s not the being gay that was a  problem, it’s that he felt he had to repress his identity and lifestyle.  It’s easy to blame the fact that he was a Republican, but the Dems who ran against him were also big fans of the flames against him.   I’m glad he’s happy now, and I hope he’s decided to stick to men his own age.