re: Cut to the chase.
A man who had actual sexual relations with a 17-year-old--not just messages--was admonished for this action, and then the whole subject was dropped. Democrat Gerry Studds was re-elected five times, until his resignation in 1996. He headed committees, and was a member of caucuses. Congressmen who even now are shrieking their indignation about Foley worked next to this man without a single objection for over a decade.
This isn't about morality for them. This is about getting power back.