Via the Washington Prowler:

“One of the stories going around Democrat Party circles is that party operatives like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and American Family Voices weren’t quite ready for primetime with the opposition research materials they had gathered for the 2006 election cycle.

According to one political consultant with ties to the DNC and other party organizations, “I’m hearing the Foley story wasn’t supposed to drop until about ten days out of the election. It was supposed the coup de grace, not the first shot.”

So why the rush? According to another DNC operative: bad polling numbers across the country. “Bush’s national security speeches were getting traction beyond the base, gas prices were dropping, economic outlook surveys were positive. We were seeing bad Democratic numbers in Missouri, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, Florida Pennsylvania, even parts of New York,” says the operative. “A month before, we were looking at launching an offensive against Republicans who according to polling barely held a five-seat majority if the election were to be held at the end of August. That was doable for Democrats from September 1 to November 7. But by mid-September, Republicans were back to having held seats for a 15-seat majority. In the Senate, it looked like a wash. We held seats in Florida, Nebraska, picked up seats in Pennsylvania, but that that was about it. They were holding in Missouri and possibly within reach of Maryland and Washington. We were looking at a disaster in the making.”

So how to remedy? “You pull out the bright shiny things that distract the average American voter away from the issues we all know they care about — national security, anti-terrorism — and focus on the ugly: Foley and Iraq.”

Sources today tell me that the ethics committee IS, along with their “who knew what and when”, is looking at whether or not there was any “evidence” witholding on the part of Democrats or of their operatives. Again, Foley’s activities aside, if it comes to light that Democratic operatives, or as it is believed at least one member of the Democratic Leadership had prior knowledge of Foley’s activities, the recoil would destroy democratic “momentum” in the last few weeks of the election. As I was told, “There is a gag order”.

The public hates a coverup, but they specifically detest a dishonest coverup. At this point the evidence is becoming more clear on the left than on the right. We’re all glad Foley was found out and is out of office. But if it turns out that – as it is now appearing – that Democratic operatives knew more than the Republican leadership about Foley but failed to inform them, look out.

Again, Pelosi’s refusal to take a polygraph is telling, as at least one source tells me that she is on the radar, although don’t hold your breath.

No doubt at this point there will be continuing pressure on “small time” operatives to get them to “talk”. That’s the job of the FBI, and they are definately on it. At this point, it’s a race, but it’s not over yet.