The Republicans are out in full panic mode trying to deflect attention from the Foley sex scandal. That's not surprising, but they should be held to some standards of truth by journalists.
The other day I overheard on TV an interview in which a Republican spokesman suggested that Foley's problem was like Clintons because Monica was a teen too. While that may be true, it is true that Clinton was also a teen.
True, Clinton was a teen at a much earlier time than that of the sexual liaison, but neither was Monica a teen at that time. The word-play here apparently is in the fact that Monica was a teen while an intern in Washington, but it should be noted that she was at least 21 at the time of the sexual encounters with Clinton.
This is not to say that Clinton's behavior was in any way admirable, but there is a clear difference between an adult having a sexual encounter with a 16-year old on the one hand and with a 20+ year old on the other. Either may offend the sensibilities of the public, but a 16 year old is legally a minor. This is a big difference.
On the other hand, there seems a danger to the Democrats in over-playing this scandal, just as the Republicans over-played the Clinton scandal. They should insist that those who are guilty of crimes be prosecuted and that those in Congress who committed ethical violations should be punished appropriately. However, it could backfire to try to paint all Republicans as guilty by association. They should just hope that enough people reach this kind of conclusion for themselves.