Pranks for nothin'!
Following up on Dave Weigel's take on the siren-worthy Foley IMs were a prank story, it's interesting to note some early reactions from presumably sympathetic parties, which don't bode well for the possibility that the prank angle might undo some of the damage. Some of the range of responses:
Eurekariffic: I should have seen this coming, but I am too childish foolish for this world.
Expected: Nothing to see here. Move along now. Move along….
On target: At last, we have proof that it's the Democrats' fault.
No cigar: It's damage control.
They tell me you've gone totally insane: And it might not hurt to remember that one man is a true victim and has been hugely damaged, Rep. Mark Foley. I know he's suffering. He has honor and shame.
(That last one's an actual quote, by the way.)
There's a detail from the transcripts, however, that I haven't seen anybody deal with. If it's all just a prank, what explains the stolen hours of lust in San Diego? That was Foley who mentioned some meaningful encounter in America's Finest City, not Edmund. I don't know what went on between the two in San Diego, and you know, let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediment, but whatever it was, it seems like a lot of trouble to go to just for a prank.
I am happy, however, to see some recognition that the lovable kid with the cast fetish may have been a more active agent in this than originally advertised.