Oh to Be 16 and Hot.

We all know one. The parent of one of our high school friends who always seemed so cool. The one who would let us drive the car before we had our licence, the one who would let us have a beer while we were at their cottage, the one who actually enjoyed the concert they chaperoned - maybe better than we did. We wished our parents could be cool like that, take an interest in our lives like that, be more of a friend than a parent. It wouldn't be until much later that we would realize how much parents should be parents and kids should be kids.

In all of the recent news articles regarding Representative Mark Foley, the one that caught my attention the most was the NYT article that interviewed former pages, male and female, who went on and on about how awesome Foley was. He was the only one who knew their names by heart, the only one who took time to discuss legislation, the only one who seemed to care that they were even there. They describe the tear filled speech he gave on the House floor commending them for a job well done and encouraging his colleagues to take interest in the future lawmakers of America. And for some, he would take a special interest.

So, are these the machinations of a sexual predator? Someone using his position, his power, his vantage point to seduce an unwitting but somewhat willing young child into a sexual relationship or online jerkfest? Or was Foley just one of those "cool parents" who should know better, so inappropriately needing to stay connected to a younger generation that it becomes creepy.

The rest has played out like a well rehearsed scandal on the Hill. Foley is now in "rehab", his predilection for emailing young boys will again bring his sexuality into question. The Republicans will equate the homosexual agenda with pedophilia (although I have to say they've done a pretty good job of avoiding this so far). OK, right winger fundamentalists will do that. If Foley does come out as gay (or a Gay American), he will likely blame the closet for his reprehensible behavior taking a cue from the McGreevy files or the Jim West pages. Democrats will beat like a dead horse the idea that the Republicans knew about Foley's misdeeds for a long time demanding all sorts of resignations (or at least the ones in precarious states that could help them win Congress.)

And ultimately the ones who will be harmed the most are the pages. When they needed a mentor, they got a wolf in sheep's clothing - the only one who would pay attention to them wanted something in return. There has been a call on the House floor to abolish the page program. Because adults, and ironically the director of the Caucus for Missing and Exploited Children, cannot be expected to be reasonable adults the whole program should go. How sad is that. In that NYT article I read, Patrick McGloughlin, a former page who has set up page reunions and alumni communiques, mentioned that his time in DC was so incredibly formative. These are the young people who themselves wish to be lawmakers some day, wish to change our country's history, wish to model themselves after today's legislators.

On second thought, maybe keeping them out of Washington and out of harm's way isn't such a bad idea.