Mark Foley and Dirty Tricks Thursday

GOP Congressman Mark Foley resigned over innapropriate emails and IM messages to teen boys. Read about it here. Be advised of a very strong parental advisory concerning the IM messages.

Mr. Bingley of the Coalition of the Swilling wonders why the St. Petersburg Times sat on a story they knew of last November:

And what is the deal with the St. Petersburg Times, which seemed to know all this a year ago and has sat on it until...4 weeks before the election? Aren't they an accessory to any crime by not reporting it to the police?

The reason why a media outlet would sit on a story for nine months and risk getting scooped is the concept known as Dirty Tricks Thursday (n.): the Thursday before an election when candidates often accuse opponents of scandalous behavior, knowing that the charges will bring headlines while also allowing the opponents little time to refute the charges.

In my humble opinion, I believe that these Mediunhueren wanted to spring this at the last minute and lost the story by doing so.