Poor choice of words, Mr. Cannon

The flap over U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon saying something stupid last week has basically died down.

But the remarks are not so out-of-character for Cannon, a Republican representing Utah's 3rd Congressional District who has stumbled over his statements before.

In case you've forgotten or just didn't hear about it, Cannon was interviewed by a KSL radio reporter, asked what he thought about the then-unfolding sex scandal involving former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and House pages.

Pages are high-school-age kids who spend a year basically as "gofers" in Congress. Congressmen like to think that the pages are the best and brightest of kids, youngsters who learn a great deal with working in Congress.

Foley, who is gay, had been sending suggestive e-mails to current and former U.S. House pages who were male.

Some of the young men were under age 18 when Foley was soliciting them, technically making them still children. Others were over 18, so adults.

Here are the exact quotes played over KSL radio a week ago Thursday. In some sentences Cannon started with one idea, then jumped to another:

"I've been thinking about this. And I hesitate — but there's really not much you can do except educate kids as to the dangers.

"If you get online, you may find people who are creepy. There are creepy people out there who will do and say creepy things. Avoid them. That's what you have to do. And maybe we can say that a little bit more to the pages.

"These kids are actually precocious kids. It looks like maybe this one e-mail was a prank, where you had a bunch of kids sitting around egging this guy on. You know. So, it's, it's, the world is a complicated place. And we just have to do the best we can."

I went to my dictionary and looked up "precocious." Here is Webster's definition: "Precocious: exceptionally early in development or occurrence; exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age."

It is clear to me that Cannon basically said a bona fide stupid thing here.

Like most politicians, Cannon did not come out the next day and apologize. Instead he read definitions of "precocious" and then tried to really explain what he meant.

He said he wasn't blaming the pages at all. Total blame goes to Foley, he said.

Father to eight children, Cannon has said he's always fought for the protection of children.

But to use the word precocious in the same discussion of a man preying on youngsters is not smart.

Do women ask to be raped by wearing short skirts?

Do men and women working in the sex trade deserve to be beaten and abused because they operate in an unseemly profession?

Do "precocious" kids bring on themselves unwarranted and unwanted attention by adults?

Cannon may say a resounding "no" to all of the above.