Human Shields
This would be hilarious if it weren’t so callous and disgusting. Rep. Thomas Reynolds gave a press conference today to discuss his role in helping cover up Mark Foley’s lecherous behavior. Afraid of getting stung with embarrassing questions like “When did you find out Foley had a ‘cast fetish’?” , Reynolds decided to take out a little insurance :
To their credit, reporters saw through his transparent attempt to hide behind children. From Firedoglake :
Reporter: Congressman, do you mind asking the children to leave the room so we can have a frank discussion of this, because it’s an adult topic. It just doesn’t seem appropriate to me.Reynolds: I’ll take your questions, but I’m not going to ask any of my supporters to leave.
. . .
Reporter: Who are the children, Congressman? Who are these children?
Reynolds: Pardon me?
Reporter: Who are these children?
Reynolds: Well, a number of them are from the community. There are several of the “thirtysomething” set that are here and uh I’ve known them and I’ve known their children as they were born.
Reporter: Do you think it’s appropriate for them to be listening to the subject matter though?
Reynolds: Sir, I’ll be happy to answer your questions, I’m still, uh…
Is every political strategist for the GOP smoking crack this week? I know reporters are usually timid and ineffective, but did they honestly think surrounding Reynolds with children would make people forget that he’s been covering-up for a sexual predator? This whole scandal keeps getting nuttier and nuttier with each passing day….
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It kind of reminds me of The Dead Zone, in which the slimy politician grabs a baby to protect himself from a sniper’s bullet. If only Reynolds would take the honorable way out the way the character did …
Comment by moonbiter — October 3, 2006 @ 1:37 pm
The page was the one with the cast fetish. I’m sure Foley broke his leg immediately.
Comment by Kyle — October 3, 2006 @ 2:40 pm
This is just a refinement of the way Republicans continually use kids for props, like Bush posing with black schoolchildren a few days before the schools get their funding cut.
Comment by Bitter Scribe — October 3, 2006 @ 4:50 pm
Darn, Kyle beat me to the first thing I was going to point out, who it was that had the cast fetish. (Don’t forget to correct at TMW too, if you do.) To Bitter Scribe’s comment, though, I’d add my own favourite example of Bush with the “snowflake babies” when vetoing the stem cell research bill.
Comment by John Owens — October 3, 2006 @ 10:26 pm
Awesome! That is awesome. Wow! You couldn’t write it better. “Some of them are from the community…”
Comment by Joe — October 4, 2006 @ 6:37 am
That press conference should be on every Democratic political ad for the next month. “Republicans claim to be the party of courage, but do courageous men hide behind little children… or try to f*ck them?”
Comment by The Idiot — October 4, 2006 @ 9:05 am
More pathetic behavior by the right wing. Just when I thought that I’d seen it all…hiding behind children, that’s a new low, even for these snakes. I’m not sure who I’m more disgusted with, the GOP or the fools who vote for them. Maybe intelligence will win in November. At least I hope so.
Comment by Michael — October 4, 2006 @ 6:36 pm