Rep. Foley and Speaker Hastert

How quickly they change their tune.

First House Speaker Hastert denied any knowledge of Rep. Foley's reprehensible conduct.

Then Speaker Hastert had no recollection of being informed of Foley's conduct by the chairman of the Republican National Committee - but had no reason to deny it happened.

Today, Speaker Hastert - whose head has been called for by no less a conservative bulwark than the Washington Times - says he's done nothing wrong because his office was only aware of a few "overly-friendly" e-mails. Speaker Hastert was not aware, his office says, of the sexually explicit messages sent by Mark Foley.

The man interrupted a vote on the House floor to engage in cybersex with an underage boy.

Events of the last three days indicate that even a cursory investigation by the Speaker would have turned up evidence of Mr. Foley's conduct. The "overly-friendly" e-mail was unequivocally a "smoking-gun." Anyone reading it should have immediately recognized that some inquiry was required. To quote President Bush, Speaker Hastert "is a smart, savvy guy."

Does anyone think, for one moment, that if Speaker Hastert had received the same "overly- friendly" e-mails from a democrat, they would not have been splashed across the front pages of every newspaper the next day?

If Speaker Hastert didn't know about Mark Foley's conduct, the only reason is that he did not want to know.