The Foley follies are just a political show

Re “Scandal Increases Republicans’ Skid in Polls,” Oct. 10

I am personally tired of and, more important, deeply suspicious of the relevance of recent polls purporting to demonstrate that the Foley scandal has crippled Republican congressional candidates and elevated Democrat prospects to near-certain victory, even control of the House and Senate. I give Americans credit for more logical thought than to attach the sexual peccadilloes of one member of Congress to the deduction that an entire related body is, ergo, corrupt and must at all costs be ousted.

Further, it has not been definitely proved that House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), for one, knew of the full nature of the advances by former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) until recently. If he or anyone else in authority were aware of this problem, they should be dismissed, but an entire party is not to blame for the sins of a few.

I’d be interested in who exactly was questioned for these polls. The U.S. is not composed of L.A. and N.Y. mind-sets exclusively, and I believe much of middle America and the South will hold to the conservative positions they’ve long maintained -- to the Republicans’ advantage, not their demise.

SUNNY COLLINS

Palm Desert

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Re “Foley Probe to Focus on Who Knew, When,” Oct. 10

When’s the last time, other than the latest Foley scandal, you have heard of the House Ethics Committee doing anything?

DANNY R. FARMER

Goodland, Kan.

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Re “Ex-Page Tells of Foley Liaison,” Oct. 8

While the media attempt to add fuel to the Foley fires, The Times’ exclusive interview with a former page revealed that the page and his colleagues “gossiped about Foley’s overly friendly behavior but did not complain about him to program supervisors or other members of Congress.”

How then was Hastert, or anyone, to have known about Foley’s alleged misconduct? And how damaging was this conduct to anyone?

MARIANNE TRUITT

Marina del Rey