Republicans have smarter wives

Representative Vito Fossella of New York continues to provide one of the more tawdry stories of the current political season. Having been found driving to Virginia with a blood alcohol content level of .17 (more than twice the legal limit) was only the beginning of the story. It turned out he had been on his way to visit his girlfriend. She, it came to pass, was the mother of a young daughter they shared. Needless to say, none of this made Mrs. Fossella terribly pleased. And now, it turns out that while his wife was at home taking care of the Congressman’s other children, Vito and his girlfriend were off on taxpayer funded junkets to Europe and points beyond.

Fossella and his lover took several trips together overseas on official taxpayer-funded congressional business, including to Europe in July 2003. Questions remain about earlier congressionally approved trips Fossella took, where Fay may have joined him in exotic European and Mideast locales on the taxpayers’ dime.

Now by this point, you may well be rolling your eyes and thinking, “What? Another one?” Following the affairs of governors in New York and New Jersey, among others, such stories seem to be all too commonplace. This one, however, has a bit of a twist. The missing element is the tearful apology before the media with the devoted wife standing quietly behind her man, garnering far more sympathy than anyone would have for the politico in what must be one of the most horrid, embarassing moments of her life.

Not so with Mrs. Fossella.

A close family friend said Fossella’s wife was considering divorce – and if so, planned to go after the house and custody of the couple’s three children.

“She’s mad,” said the source, who asked not to be identified. “She wants to move on.”

Mad? That may be putting it mildly. Vito may want to stay away from the family home for a while or his wife may be cutting him off from more than his checking account. Good for you, Mrs. Fossella! I feel bad for the experience you’re going through, but at least you aren’t being paraded around like Mrs. Spitzer making the entire episode even more painful to watch.