Spinning out of control

B.S. move of the Week

The Foley drama in Congress is literally moving faster than anybody's ability to keep up with it. At least mine anyway.

One of the grimmest and more disgusting routes we seem to be heading down came to light earlier today. Over at Gay Patriot (that anathema of anathemas, a Gay Republican) we learn that: ...liberal blogger David Corn (of The Nation and “outing Valerie Plame” fame) comes this disturbing development in the Foley saga.

There’s a list going around. Those disseminating it call it “The List.” It’s a roster of top-level Republican congressional aides who are gay.

On CBS News on Tuesday, correspondent Gloria Borger reported that there’s anger among House Republicans at what an unidentified House GOPer called a “network of gay staffers and gay members who protect each other and did the Speaker a disservice.” The implication is that these gay Republicans somehow helped page-pursuing Mark Foley before his ugly (and possibly illegal) conduct was exposed. The List–drawn up by gay politicos–is a partial accounting of who on Capitol Hill might be in that network.

I have a copy. I’m not going to publish it. For one, I don’t know for a fact that the men on the list are gay. And generally I don’t fancy outing people–though I have not objected when others have outed gay Republicans, who, after all, work for a party that tries to limit the rights of gays and lesbians and that welcomes the support of those who demonize same-sexers.

What’s interesting about The List–which includes nine chiefs of staffs, two press secretaries, and two directors of communications–is that (if it’s accurate) it shows that some of the religious right’s favorite representatives and senators have gay staffers helping them advance their political careers and agendas. These include Representative Katherine Harris and Henry Hyde and Senators Bill Frist, George Allen, Mitch McConnell and Rick Santorum. Should we salute these legislators for being open-minded enough to have such tolerant hiring practices? After all, Santorum in a 2003 AP interview compared homosexuality to bestiality, incest and polygamy. It would be rather big of Santorum to employ a fellow who engages in activity akin to such horrors. That is, if Santorum knows about his orientation.

Let’s be clear about one thing: the Mark Foley scandal is not about homosexuality. Some family value conservatives are suggesting it is. (GP Ed. Note - So are most Liberal Chestbeaters…. calling Bob Beckel!)

But anytime a gay Republican is outed by events, a dicey issue is raised: what about those GOPers who are gay and who serve a party that is anti-gay? Are they hypocrites, opportunists, or just confused individuals? Is it possible to support a party because you adhere to most of its tenets–even if that party refuses to recognize you as a full citizen? The men on The List might want to think hard about these questions–as they probably already have–for if I have a copy of The List, there’s a good chance it will be appearing soon on a website near everyone.

This sort of outting-but-not-really-outting of GOP staffers is the BS move of the week. No one, be they gay activist, gay hater or someone totally agnostic on the entire subject has the right to out people who've chosen not to go public with this information themselves. No one.

It's not up to "gay politicos", it's not up to me, it's not up to sympathetic internet activists and it's certainly not up to David Corn to "out" people. While Corn has not "named names", he's made it clearly possible for anyone with an ounce of curiosity and an internet connection to ferret out those names and publish them.

His wink-and-a-nod approach (Wink:"I have a copy. I’m not going to publish it. For one, I don’t know for a fact that the men on the list are gay. And generally I don’t fancy outing people", Nod: "it shows that some of the religious right’s favorite representatives and senators have gay staffers helping them advance their political careers and agendas. These include Representative Katherine Harris and Henry Hyde and Senators Bill Frist, George Allen, Mitch McConnell and Rick Santorum." ) doesn't fool. It's an utterly outrageous thing to do and, had he any, he should be ashamed.

While we're on the subject of outing, I wonder why nobody's outted Corn for the piece of garbage journalist that he is.