Florida GOP Names Replacement Candidate

The Florida GOP has picked State Rep. Joe Negron to replace former US Rep. Mark Foley in the 7 November general election. However, state law requires that Foley's name appear on the ballot. Whether or not this will cause confusion is anyone's guess.

A story in the St Petersburg Times suggests that Negron is just as ambitious -- evidenced by fast-track -- as Foley ever was.

House Speaker Hastert has formally written the Attorney General, requesting an investigation. A timeline shows not only Foley's meteoric rise in the Republican party but also who in leadership knew about the Louisiana e-mails ... and when they knew it.

Two Florida papers -- the St. Pete Times and the Miami Herald -- knew about the e-mail exchange between Foley and the page from Louisiana in 2005, but neither published. The St Pete Times said that neither the minor nor his parents were willing to go on the record, so the paper did not persue the story. Of course, Beltway insiders can get stories placed right and left without going on the record. Sometimes, as with Scooter Libby and the Valerie Plame mess, they go so far as to agree to background ID that obfuscates their real position.

Also, see Foley Resigns Amid Scandal With Male Minors, The Astonishing D.C. Republican Culture of Corruption & Immorality