I remember when I heard descriptions in excruciating detail of the semen stain on Monica Lewinsky’s dress on network news, night after night. I remember when the religious right came out in full force against Clinton and said his cover-up was grounds for impeachment.

What I don’t remember is Clinton saying that the news outlets that ran the story, or the Republican Party, were responsible for the scandal. In fact, after he knew he was caught, I seem to remember him taking responsibility for his actions and apologizing.

But, you see, when a scandal involves a Republican, it’s a different story. When Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley got caught with his cyber-pants down, he and his party immediately unleashed a throng of excuses and scapegoats. They came up with an astounding number of reasons why it isn’t Foley’s fault that he sexually harassed at least two young, male pages who were placed under his authority.

The most prominent, and loudest, among this damage-control crew was House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. He had the audacity to blame the media outlet that broke this story to the public, ABC News, and “democratic operatives” for trying to ruin Foley’s career in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. He has backed down, and condemned Foley’s actions, but only after he realized it was a losing battle and the cries for his resignation got too loud, and supporting Foley went out of fashion in Washington.

Foley is making his own excuses, although he has done the right thing by resigning his post. His list of reasons why it’s not entirely his fault that he made sexual advances on pages, one of whom was 16 years old, includes alcoholism, sexual abuse by a clergyman, and mental illness. After he resigned, he checked himself into rehab for the alcoholism. And he admitted he’s gay, which gives gay men a bad name, if you ask me.

What I find most upsetting is that Foley committed all these immoral – if not illegal – acts while he was the chairman of a congressional caucus on crimes against children, and as he wrote legislation that would allow for harsher punishments against child pornographers and pedophiles, according to the Chicago Tribune. Begrudgingly, I have to agree with President Bush when he calls Foley’s actions “disgusting.”

The worrying thing is that this isn’t an isolated issue. Republicans have been on a scandal-streak recently. Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, and Tom Delay, a former republican congressman from Texas, both went down in financial scandals, and the GOP was able to stay strong, “stay the course” as Bush might say. In this country, sex scandals are different, especially when the transgressor is from the party that prides itself on its moral values, as the GOP does, especially under Bush.

The question that remains to be answered is whether this most recent scandal is enough to change the outcome of the upcoming elections. Democrats need all the help they can get, and they’re going to use Foley’s disgrace to its fullest.

Never mind, the real question is whether voters can feel comfortable with allowing Republicans to stay in control when they obviously don’t respect Americans enough to be honest, moral, and take responsibility for their actions. I, for one, cannot give my vote to this party in good conscience.