There's been a run on tinfoil hats

Americans turn conspiratorial.

Despite their troubles, many Republican leaders believe tumbling gas prices could be their salvation. But even that benefit has drawbacks. Many Americans tell pollsters they believe that the drop was politically orchestrated to help Republicans in the election.

And then (and you knew this was coming) there's Mark Foley. Another stark reminder to voters that pretty much everything Republicans rail against and denounce as moral deviance, they practice...and with relish.

Mr. Foley gets triple bonus points for hypocrisy. As co-chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, he has been a fierce advocate for tough sanctions against people who sexually exploit children over the Internet. Not that Democrats have been pointing this out relentlessly since the news broke or anything.

Or reminding people that Mr. Foley was a big supporter of President Clinton’s impeachment.

“Part of his thing was, ‘What do we tell the children?’” recalls the longtime Clinton aide Paul Begala. “Apparently, we’ll tell them in a sexually explicit e-mail.”