Get a ruler and measure it for me: Republican Party leadership at work

"Sex offenders are not petty criminals. They prey on our children like animals and will continue to do it unless stopped."

-Rep. Mark Foley (Republican from Florida), speaking to the House Judiciary Committee on June 9, 2005. At the time, Foley was the chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus.

"During the congressional debate in 1998 over President Bill Clinton's affair with a White House intern, Foley called Clinton's actions vile and told the St. Petersburg Times that 'it's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction.'"

-The Washington Post, in a story about Foley's career in Congress.

"Get a ruler and measure it for me"

-Rep. Mark Foley (Republican from Florida), in an Internet instant message to an underage boy. Foley resigned on Friday.

"Top House Republicans knew for months about e-mail traffic between Representative Mark Foley and a former teenage page, but kept the matter secret and allowed Mr. Foley to remain head of a Congressional caucus on children’s issues, Republican lawmakers said Saturday."

-The New York Times, September 30, 2006.

"With ever more children accessing material over the Internet, we support efforts to bolster online protections that prevent children from being exploited to pornographic images and solicitations."

-Page 83, 2004 Republican Party Platform: A Safer World And A More Hopeful America

"A Republican staff member warned congressional pages five years ago to watch out for Congressman Mark Foley, according to a former page."

-ABC News, October 2, 2006