CNN host and MSNBC analyst suggested Democrats' own past scandals should prevent them from highlighting GOP leadership role in Foley scandal

On the October 4 edition of CNN's American Morning, after airing a campaign advertisement from Minnesota Democratic congressional candidate Patty Wetterling accusing congressional Republican leaders of covering up the "predatory behavior" of former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), co-host Soledad O'Brien asked CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley whether "Democrats ma[de] a mistake by grabbing this issue and running with it" because "[t]here's certainly been enough scandal in the Democratic Party in the past." Similarly, on the October 4 edition of MSNBC Live, responding to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, MSNBC political analyst and Congressional Quarterly columnist Craig Crawford told host Chris Jansing that he has "some pause about this idea of Democrats on a roll, simply because when they were in charge, they had plenty of their own problems with abuse of power."

From the October 4 edition of CNN's American Morning:

O'BRIEN: No surprise that there's this new commercial. Patty Wetterling, a Democrat in Minnesota, is the first one to sort of come out right out of the box and run this commercial. Let's show a chunk of it, if we can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE [video clip]: Congressional leaders have admitted covering up the predatory behavior of a congressman who used the Internet to molest children. For over a year, they knowingly ignored the welfare of children to protect their own power.

O'BRIEN: It goes on and on and on to talk about molesting, as well. No surprise. Do you think that Democrats make a mistake by grabbing this issue and running with it? There's certainly been enough scandal in the Democratic Party in the past.

From the noon broadcast of the October 4 edition of MSNBC Live:

JANSING: Carl Crawford is an MSNBC political analyst and columnist for Congressional Quarterly, also a former congressional page. So, Craig, what do you think? Is the -- are the American people, based on this NBC poll, kind of got the feel of what's really going on out there?

CRAWFORD: Well, we can certainly see a pattern, here. It's sort of like the waves -- surfing the waves, Chris. We see this on the top, these waves going in one direction, but there's always an undertow, and you never know what you might not be seeing.

I do have some pause about this idea of Democrats on a roll, simply because when they were in charge, they had plenty of their own problems with abuse of power, and, of course, most of them supported the war when it was first -- when Iraq was first invaded. So, I can see where some voters might be unhappy with Republicans, but when they look at the Democrats, a lot of them don't see anything much different.

—R.D.