There is no good news here. There is no positive spin. There is no way that anyone can say anything that will quell the disgust in the minds of the parents of America. This has hit home -- their homes. Rich homes, poor homes, soccer mom homes. No Bush supporter who is a parent will find anything they say will make these events "okay".

The Republican base is finally awake to the fact that their party, the party of torture and spying, the party of gutting the social programs their parents have come to depend on in the golden years, the party of "family values", has crossed that bridge to Nowhereville.

These aren't brown Muslim children or Sudanese babies half a world away, this time some of them were their kids. These kids were PAGES in CONGRESS. This wasn't an event in a failing school in a poor district in another state. This was a case of entrusting our children to their elected representatives in the most hallowed halls in America -- and seeing that trust violated in a felonious manner.

When children are called to battle, it is understood that they will be placed in harm's way, but this is different. There was never any physical or mental danger implied in serving your country as a Congressional page. This is (was?) a position of honor; a reward for grades, intellectual achievement, and social connections. You're supposed to put this on your Harvard application, it's not supposed to put you in therapy.

Mark my words: each time someone comes out and tries to spin this, or compares it to Monicagate, they lose a voter somewhere.

So, let them spin themselves into the ground; this time, each word does irreparable damage.

ed: gram.