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[grandjedi6]

WASHINGTON — Representative Vito J. Fossella of New York was arrested early Thursday morning in a Washington suburb and charged with driving while intoxicated, the police said.

Mr. Fossella, the only Republican member of Congress from New York City, released a statement through his office acknowledging what he called an error in judgment.

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,” the statement said. “I apologize to my family and the constituents of the 13th Congressional District for embarrassing them, as well as myself.”

His office declined to provide additional details. A spokesman for the Police Department in Alexandria, Va., said Mr. Fossella was charged with driving while intoxicated within the city limits.

The spokesman, Lt. Ray Hazel, said Mr. Fossella appeared before a magistrate who scheduled a May 12 appearance in Alexandria General District Court. He declined to provide any other details about the arrest. The Associated Press reported that Lieutenant Hazel declined to say what Mr. Fossella’s blood-alcohol level was.

Mr. Fossella, 43, lives in Staten Island and represents parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. He won his Congressional seat in a special election in 1997 while he was a member of the New York City Council.

Democratic leaders in Washington, who are seeking to expand the party’s majority in the House, have been closely eyeing Mr. Fossella’s seat this year.

In 2006, Mr. Fossella’s Democratic opponent, Stephen Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer, fared better than any previous opponent, winning 43 percent of the vote.

This year, Mr. Harrison and another Democrat, City Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr. of Brooklyn, are in a primary race to challenge Mr. Fossella. Democrats in Washington say that the fact that there are two candidates they called credible seeking to challenge Mr. Fossella underscores his vulnerability this year.

Democrats say the political climate is especially brutal for Republicans in New York, a heavily Democratic state where Democrats picked up three Republican-held seats in the 2006 elections. Analysts in both parties say this year appears to be just as difficult for Republicans in the state

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/nyregion/02fossella.html?ref=nyregion

Update:

Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) today acknowledged that he “had a relationship” with Laura Fay, a retired Air Force officer who paid his bail after he was arrested last week for drunken driving — and that he is the father of her 3-year-old daughter.

"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter,” Fossella said in a statement. "My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10211.html

 

[Dan]

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,”

No, clearly you fucking don't know it's wrong.

 

[GhaleonEB]

No, clearly you fucking don't know it's wrong.

People do stuff they know is wrong all the time. Right now I'm eating a handful of malted milk balls after brushing my teeth. I know this is so very wrong, but they're tasty.

 

[bishoptl]

Unless you go into a sugar coma and leave the stove on, burning down your apartment building...I don't think the risks are as equal as you postulate.

 

[Stoney Mason]

*insert Ted Kennedy joke

 

[speculawyer]

Comment 1: If I were a Republican these days, I'd be drinking too.

Comment 2: Use a GTA IV defense!!! :lol

 

[slidewinder]

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,”

Nah, not really.

 

[WickedAngel]

He could have made this a valuable anti-game tool.

"As part of my increasing concern for violence in entertainment, I decided to purchase GTA IV. After a few hours of 'pimpin on hoes' and 'poppin on bitches', I came to a mission that ended with a drunken commute back to my house. It was then and there that I knew what had to be done."

 

[Mandark]

People do stuff they know is wrong all the time.

I vote we derail this thread into a debate on akrasia.

No?

Okay, then. Stoopid Republican got drunk, haw haw!

 

[grandjedi6]

I vote we derail this thread into a debate on akrasia.

No?

Okay, then. Stoopid Republican got drunk, haw haw!

I'd rather go with Stoopid New York politician jokes. Its more topical after Spitzer

 

[ronito]

what is it with New York?

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,”

Come on we all know the over/under is five beers.

 

[grandjedi6]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Court records show that Rep. Vito Fossella had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested on drunken driving charges this week.

Court papers indicate that Fossella's blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent when he was arrested early Thursday in Alexandria, Va. The legal limit in Virginia is 0.08 percent.

Fossella will have to serve a mandatory five days in jail if convicted.

At a news conference Friday, the congressman apologized profusely and begged forgiveness.

He says he was pulled over after a dinner with New Yorkers who were in Washington for the Giants' White House celebration.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...05/02/AR2008050202587.html?hpid=moreheadlines

 

[way more]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Court records show that Rep. Vito Fossella had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested on drunken driving charges this week.

Court papers indicate that Fossella's blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent when he was arrested early Thursday in Alexandria, Va. The legal limit in Virginia is 0.08 percent.

Fossella will have to serve a mandatory five days in jail if convicted.

Oooooh. Twice the legal limit! Oh, wait, that's just .17 percent.


Only people who don't know what those numbers mean are impressed by saying the perpetrators BAC was a multiple of the legal limit.

 

[LakeEarth]

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,”

Court records show that Rep. Vito Fossella had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested on drunken driving charges this week.

Hahaha, one.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

The General is going to be such a slaughterfest.

 

[RiskyChris]

“As a parent, I know that taking even one drink of alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is wrong,” the statement said. “I apologize to my family and the constituents of the 13th Congressional District for embarrassing them, as well as myself.”

And here's how crazy policies come into effect. People worried more about their electability than they do about logical policy.

No, having one beer will not make you run a school bus off the road. If MADD had their way, maybe it would be illegal.

 

[speculawyer]

On the bright side, Vito is well on his way to getting on the GOP presidential or vice presidential ticket.

 

[Skiptastic]

On the bright side, Vito is well on his way to getting on the GOP presidential or vice presidential ticket.

Just as long as he doesn't fuck up the answer on "Why do you want to be President?"

Props to Stoney for the inspiration.

 

[BigGreenMat]

Person gets DUI, country shocked!!

Happens all the time, and will keep on happening. DUI's are great revenue generators. The country is built and zoned to generate them. Why is anyone surprised when they happen?

 

[Easytoremember]

Person gets DUI, country shocked!!

Happens all the time, and will keep on happening. DUI's are great revenue generators. The country is built and zoned to generate them. Why is anyone surprised when they happen?

Uh, because driving drunk is an incredibly dangerous and irresponsible thing to do, so when an elected official, someone responsible for the betterment and safety of our society, whose income is paid by citizens, is caught driving with a BAC of .17, it means something a little bit more than a way to generate revenue.

 

[speculawyer]

Things have gone from bad to worse for Vito . . . he's now got a sex scandal and 'love-child'. (I can't decide if I like or hate that phrase.)

Disgraced New York Congressman Vito Fossella broke down in tears on the floor of the House of Representatives today, apparently under the emotional weight of his recent behavior.

Fossella acknowledged on Thursday that he had fathered a daughter, now three years old, with a woman who wasn't his wife. News of his adultery came just a week after the Staten Island Republican was arrested for drunk driving in suburban Virginia.

Appearing on the House floor today, Fossella broke down when talking with House Chaplain, Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, a congressional aide who witnessed the event told The Huffington Post. The episode occurred shortly after the congressman voted against the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008, a housing bill that passed through the House by a 239 to 188 vote.

Fossella's political and legal future is currently up in the air. He is expected to appear in court next week and could face jail time if convicted for his drunk driving charge.

According to the New York Times:

"A police report in Alexandria, Va., a suburb of Washington, said that Mr. Fossella ran a red light on Thursday just after midnight and had a "strong smell of alcoholic beverage" when he was pulled over. According to the report, Mr. Fossella told the officer that he was on his way to pick up his daughter, who needed to go to the hospital, although on Friday he said that he had been on his way to visit friends.

The report said Mr. Fossella failed several sobriety tests on the street, including a preliminary breath test on which he registered a blood alcohol level of 0.133 percent. After he was arrested, he recorded a level of 0.17 percent on another machine. The legal limit in Virginia, as in most states, is 0.08 percent."

Asked to comment, a GOP spokesman said "Well . . . he wasn't having sex with a boy, so we are improving."

Spoiler

Yes, that is joke.

 

[BigGreenMat]

Uh, because driving drunk is an incredibly dangerous and irresponsible thing to do, so when an elected official, someone responsible for the betterment and safety of our society, whose income is paid by citizens, is caught driving with a BAC of .17, it means something a little bit more than a way to generate revenue.

Actually it isn't that irresponsible in the grand scheme of things considering that the setup of our society makes it almost inevitable to happen. I won't argue that it becomes increasingly dangerous. And I will agree that this guy probably is part of the problem with draconian laws and the way we have built things. Just a bit of

The report said Mr. Fossella failed several sobriety tests on the street, including a preliminary breath test on which he registered a blood alcohol level of 0.133 percent. After he was arrested, he recorded a level of 0.17 percent on another machine. The legal limit in Virginia, as in most states, is 0.08 percent."

This folks is why you never EVER blow. Ask for a blood test. Breathalyzers are wildly inaccurate.

I sorta feel bad for the guy. Seems to be like it is all falling apart rather fast. Still the irony

 

[way more]

The report said Mr. Fossella failed several sobriety tests on the street, including a preliminary breath test on which he registered a blood alcohol level of 0.133 percent. After he was arrested, he recorded a level of 0.17 percent on another machine. The legal limit in Virginia, as in most states, is 0.08 percent."

.13 to .17? I think this guy just found the loop hole that will set him free.

 

[grandjedi6]

Drunk driving? Affair? Child out of Wedlock? Fossella is sooo fucked