POST NAMES NINE SEATS LIABLE TO CHANGE HANDS BECAUSE OF THE REPUBLICAN COVER UP IN FOLEY SCANDAL

Two veteran Washington Post political reporters, Dan Balz and Jim VandeHei, did a front page look at the likely fallout from the Republican cover up in the Foley case. And there are still many shoes to drop, not the least of which are the revelations about a physical rendezvous Foley had with a page in San Diego and the claims by one Republican page that Foley followed him into a public toilet and groped him. And then, of course, there will be lots and lots of revelations about who knew what when and who so many closeted gay Republicans-- like the Clerk of the House and Hastert's Chief Counsel-- were involved in the cover up from the earliest stages.

But for now, The Post is only reporting "revulsion," "intense anger," calls from the right for Hastert to resign, a depressed turn out among Christian conservatives and a need for "Republican operatives" to shelter vulnerable incumbents from the fallout." Oh, and they quote Boehner saying the Republicans have virtually no chance to hold on to Foley's old seat in Florida. The other seats they claim the Republicans know they're going to lose are DeLay's old seat in Texas, Ney's old seat in Ohio, Kolbe's old seat in Arizona, two open seats in Iowa (go Braley!) and Colorado, as well as 3 incumbents who are in grave danger, John Hostettler (IN), Don Sherwood (another predator, PA) and... NRCC chairman Tom Reynolds, who many speculate was an integral part of the cover up.

Balz and VandeHei were correct to discuss the Foley scandal and cover up in terms of a series of catastrophes for the GOP last week: the leak of the NIE asserting that Bush's policies in Iraq have been a disaster and the release of Bob Woodward's new book proving Bush and his Regime are a pack of craven liars (if not traitors).

"By yesterday, a number of GOP strategists reported widespread gloom about the party's prospects, combined with intense anger at the House leadership. Joe Gaylord, who was the top adviser to Newt Gingrich (Ga.) when Republicans seized control of the House in 1994, was pessimistic about the party's midterm prospects. He said the fallout from Foley's resignation comes 'very close' to ensuring a Democratic victory in November. 'The part that causes the greatest fallout is the obvious kind of pall that an incident like this would put on our hardest-core voters, who are evangelical Christians,' he said. 'The thing I have said almost since this cycle began is the real worry you have is that [Republicans] just won't turn out. This is one more nail in that coffin.' Depressed turnout would not only hurt vulnerable House incumbents but also make it more difficult for Republicans to hold the most competitive Senate seats-- many of those races are now virtually even, according to recent polling."

They don't mention John Laesch in the story. They don't know him the way we do.


BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!-- THE DANA ROHRBACHER CONNECTION

And these guys are the anti-gay party???? Digby's got the dirt-- and I do mean dirt-- on a far right wing political operative crony of Rohrbacher's and Scott Baugh's. (Until Frist came along, Rohrbacher, a southern California wingnut, was the Taliban's best friend in Congress; Baugh is the head of the Orange County GOP.) If you get sick about older Republicans setting up husband/wife relationships with 14 year old little boys, maybe you should skip this one.