Inside the Mind of Mark Foley

"Ninety percent positive — 99 percent positive from Palm Beach," said the station's general manager, Chet Tart in an e-mail to Florida's Sun-Sentinel. "Negative from other areas."

He's talking about comments on Inside the Mind of Mark Foley, a radio show that debuts at 6:00 PM Eastern on WSVU-AM 960 KHz.

He's still a local hero, never mind the sexual harassment of teenage boys that caused his embarrassed resignation and "rehab." Disgraced Republicans do that: they become heroes like Ollie North, G. Gordon Liddy and now Mark Foley -- martyrs to the cause, whatever it is and without that unpleasant martyrdom thing.

Of course Foley is a minor league player compared to the guys that ran illegal wars, illegal arms deals and burglaries out of the White House. He's just a sad fellow compared even to Shouting Joe Wilson or Larry, "Wide Stance" Craig. I'm not upset or surprised that he still has friends and supporters, I'm just amazed at how the public can't wait to get advice and presumably snarky opinions about the real enemies: Liberals, from him on the radio.

The producer isn't going to risk putting any irate callers on the air though. The show will consist mostly of pre-recorded answers to e-mailed questions. If you're interested, you can reach him at Foley@Seaviewam960.com.

Prodigal son, part two

I avoid Palm Beach. The homes of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are there. The place still has too many remnants of its former "Gentleman's agreement" and "no Jews allowed" snobbery and I still remember once being openly sneered at by a liveried doorman in front of Gucci as I shoehorned my brand new but still too plebeian $60,000 car between the Bentleys on Worth Avenue. It's the sort of place I associate with former Congressman Mark Foley.

It's not that Foley was born with a silver spoon in his mouth or made any great fortune as is typical of the local gentry. In fact he spent some of his youth removing forks and spoons and dirty dishes from restaurant tables. Still, he seems to be seen at the right restaurants and clubs and in the company of the right people; sometimes very far right people.

Foley is back from his brief social exile, having completed as he says, his rehabilitation from alcoholism. As a guest at the ball that opens the Palm Beach Fashion Week, he was celebrated by appreciative well wishers at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Friday night. Although he didn't represent that district, that's where his support and his fountain of funds has always been. Attendees seemed to appreciate all that he did "for the community" which as I remember was to push for poorly conceived laws to shut down nudist camps in the Sunshine State and to make it illegal to draw pictures of minors that Foley saw as hot, hot, hot. Of course he did facilitate that minor miracle of getting a Democrat, Tim Mahoney, elected. I have to be grateful for that.

I presume that Mark has changed his ways and is no longer chasing after minors, and it seems that he is using his former contacts and skills in that frequent fall-back profession of deposed politician: a Florida Real Estate Salesman. He's now open about his male partner; a wealthy Palm Beach dermatologist. I wish him well. I think he's paid for his indiscretion and his hypocrisy. His friends, of course, don't need my best wishes and his party would long since have disappeared if my wishes had any influence in the matter.

Florida justice

Maybe it isn't just the very rich that are different than you and I; the very Republican often can rely on a separate and not very equal justice. It seems that flirtatious Mark Foley won't be prosecuted for soliciting sex from a minor because there is a statute of limitations and he was able to run out the clock by invoking some prohibition against law enforcement being able to look at his computer even though it's owned and paid for by the taxpayers.

Ann Coulter may likewise scoot from under the felonious cloud she raised by voting in a precinct not her own and giving a false address when registering in Palm Beach Florida. Today's Palm Beach Post tells us

"The Florida Elections Commission investigation into whether populist conservative pundit Ann Coulter voted illegally in Palm Beach is expected to wind down in time for the commission's mid-November meeting. Complainant Richard Giorgio, a political consultant, just sent in additional paperwork on his testimony that he witnessed Coulter's vote in the wrong precinct in February 2006. .."

I have to admit I had dared to hope, but eyewitness testimony and documentary evidence against such as Coulter, with her friends in the FBI and the Republican Party make prosecuting her as difficult as prosecuting an 18 foot alligator in mating season. I'm sure she will slither away as easily and with the same contempt for the law as any scaled swamp thing. Perhaps the election commissioner should have called Animal Control in the first place.

There's one law for us

And another law for them. Very little in our nation, under Bush, is private. There's really no impediment to the government's desire to snoop around your house, read your e-mail, tap your phones, look into your back yard from satellites, monitor your reading or anything else, probable cause or not.

Unless, of course, you're a former Congressman. Good old Mark "page pincher" Foley, the disgraced representative from my district in Florida is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, an agency that most would agree has probable cause to suspect that Foley might have exhibited a bit too much interest in minors. They'd like to have a look at the Federally owned computers he used when sending those incriminating e-mails to congressional pages and at first glance one might see little reason to say the government cannot inspect its own property - but no.

According to FDLE, the House of Representatives has refused access, citing case law. It may have been monkey business, but his "work papers" are legislative business and access is denied. Only Foley can authorize the police to see them, they say and of course Foley will not cooperate. Obstruction of Justice charges are only for little people, to paraphrase the late Leona Helmsley.

Foley who, when the e-mails hit the fan, fled Washington with the excuse that he was entering rehab, has been seen of late dining in exclusive Palm Beach restaurants and is being described by his wealthy Palm Beach supporters as a fine Palm Beach gentleman. They get remarkable results, these rehab places.

Prodigal son

One of the many reasons I don't read the society page of the Palm Beach Post is the likelihood of stumbling into a story like this, but sometimes accidents happen.

"Once we sat him down, quite a few of our patrons stood up and went to his table to shake his hand. I think even he may have been surprised. You can tell he's still the hometown boy. He's always been a gentleman around here, and it shows."

So says the maitre d' at the Cafe L'Europe in Palm Beach, just a short limo ride from Ann Coulter's house. Of course he was talking about disgraced Florida Representative Mark Foley. Nothing surprising here. It's not as though he became a Democrat or criticized the President and after all, what happens in Washington stays in Washington.

And now this

A local newspaper in Foley's former district, the Stuart News, published a poll taken yesterday showing that Mark Foley would win against the Democrat, Tim Mahoney, who won election after Foley dropped out. So much for the mind of the Conservative.