oh, ffs.

Well, the morning after stories on Rep. Fossella's troubles are in, and the Times has a possible answer to the question: where did he get the money to support two families and three residences on a congressman's salary?

Mr. Fossella, a former medical malpractice lawyer who was the Republican chairman of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s re-election campaign in 2005, was elected to Congress in 1997 in a special election.

no kidding

Since retaking the House in 1995, Republicans had been interested in imposing caps on medical malpractice claims. They felt these claims had become so large that they were driving physicians out of the profession and increasing the cost of medical care for everyone. They proposed a bill that would cap pain and suffering damages at $250,000 and punitive damages at the greater of $250,000 or double the economic damages. The bill also capped attorneys' fees and limited the circumstances when punitive damages would be allowed. Progressives--and Democrats generally--agreed that something needed to be done about malpractice awards, but they argued the current bill would restrict patient rights while doing nothing to ensure that physicians (and so the system as a whole) would see savings on their malpractice insurance bills. However, with almost all Republicans supportive of the bill, Progressives and Democrats in general had very little say in the matter. The bill passed, 229-196.

New York, District 13 : Fossella, Vito
Member Vote: Y

The bill also restricted awards in cases against insurers, pharmaceutical companies and medical devices.

You'd've thought after four years at the Wharton School the congressman would have gone into his legal career knowing all about the dire impact of lawsuits on costs.

I guess sometimes you have to think of your personal economy first.

After all, he clearly needs the money.

INOKIYAR

You may remember the New York Sun's Alicia Colon from her personal crusade to save New York's children from creeping islamofascism by fighting a secular charter school for arab culture named after a maronite christian (or, as she put it, a madrassa).

She's leaped into the lists now to defend her congressman

Ever since my congressman, Vito Fossella, was arrested on a DWI last Thursday, the local papers were spreading gossip about Fossella’s love child with the woman who bailed him out of jail. He was finally forced to acknowledge his daughter yesterday and it bodes ill for his re-election to Congress in November. However, the biggest obstacle to his political career is neither his arrest nor his infidelity, but the fact that he is a Republican.

Whenever a politician is arrested or becomes involved in a potential scandal, the damage to reputations depends on which political party is involved. That a double standard applies is not the question but rather how voters react to the scandal. Democrats, with rare exceptions such as the case of Governor Spitzer, do not seem to regard character flaws as impediment to the miscreant’s legislative capabilities, while Republican voters hold their representatives to a higher standard.

Who can forget how quickly the Florida congressman Mark Foley resigned after his sexually explicit instant messages to a male page were revealed? Democrat Gerry Studds, on the other hand, actually seduced a 17-year old male page, then took him to Portugal in 1983. He ignored censure by Congress, ran for re-election, and was re-elected five times by voters in his Massachusetts district.

Not all Republicans give up so easily, but they hang on without support from the party. Many Republicans were upset that Senator Craig rescinded his resignation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor when caught in an undercover sex sting in an airport men’s room.

fortunately, the front page of Google News has saved me the trouble of rounding up links (making up in timeliness what it lacks in easily-available volume)

• Panel Clears La. Senator In Call-Girl Complaint
Washington Post - 5 hours ago
By Paul Kane Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was cleared yesterday of any ethical misconduct for his association with prostitutes from the escort service run by the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "DC Madam" who was convicted of running a call-girl ...
Committee decides against ethics probe of Louisiana senator KGAN
Senate ethics panel dismisses Vitter complaint Reuters
ABC News - The Associated Press - The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com - CBS News
all 182 news articles »

Poor bastard. Harsh.