WILL VITO TRY TO STAY IN CONGRESS CLAIMING HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT FAMILIES BECAUSE HE HAS TWO?

Pressure is mounting on Fossella to resign or at least announce that he won't be seeking re-election, so that the GOP has at least a chance to hold on to the last New York City congressional district they hold. But, even as he announced that he is the father of Laura Fay's 3 year old daughter, he refused to answer any questions about his political future. The New York media is having a field day as his moralistic "Family Values" hypocrisy is exposed.

Embarrassing for the McCain campaign, of course, is the fact that Fossella is on the McCain New York Finance Committee (see below). McCain is expected to toss him off the Double Talk Express-- mouthing concern for the both families-- just as he did when Rep. Renzi was indicted. All the papers in NY, even the Times carried Fossella's terse admission:

I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three-year-old daughter.

My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry.

While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will to continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused.

The Times also points out that "Mr. Fossella, 43, was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he was pulled over. He faces a mandatory five days in jail if convicted. The House ethics committee also could open an investigation into the matter.

...Mr. Fossella and his wife, the former Mary Patricia Rowan, have two sons and a daughter. On Wednesday, Mr. Fossella attended a confirmation ceremony for his oldest child, Dylan, at St. Clare’s Roman Catholic Church in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island, before returning to Washington."

Even before Fossella finally admitted he has two families, the Daily News was tightening the noose around his political career, painting a picture of the congressman as a lothario neglecting his duties to pursue Fay (at the taxpayers' expense) and making it clear that GOP insiders want nothing to do with him.

Republican campaign officials warned donors he was a "huge problem" going into the fall elections.

Some even told donors to withhold checks to Fossella, inside sources said.

Party officials were losing confidence Fossella could hold onto his seat even if he survived fallout from his drunken-driving arrest in Alexandria, Va., last week, the sources said.

...Fay was using her married name, Shoaf, in late July 2003 when she took charge of arranging a trip to Europe for a delegation led by then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to meet with war allies.

When the congressional delegation made stops in Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain, Shoaf and Fossella often disappeared together, three sources on the trip said.

"She wasn't around as much as I expected her to be," said one source on the trip. "He wasn't around much, either."

Fossella and Fay apparently missed a dinner in honor of Hastert thrown by the Welsh first minister on July 27, another source remembered.

Fay's absences in particular rankled Hastert's aides, the sources confirmed. Fay was the newly minted chief Air Force liaison officer in the House.

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The Daily News is conducting a poll about Fossella's political future. You can vote and see the results here. As of 1:30PM Staten Island time:




UPDATE: BOEHNER WANTS FOSSELLA TO RESIGN

According to this morning's CQPolitics Fossella can expect no life-preserver from Minority Leader John Weepy Boehner. “I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend,’’ Boehner told reporters. “This is a decision between him, his family and his constituents.’’ Harsh-- and which family?