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 Many Republicans were upset that Senator Craig rescinded his resignation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor when caught in an undercover sex sting in an airport men’s room. Rep. Barney Frank still maintains heavy influence in D.C. even though his aide operated a male sex-for-hire ring out of Mr. Frank’s apartment.

Mr. Fossella has always been popular in his hometown, and letters to the Staten Island Advance seem to support him at this time, however, they refer only to the DWI incident and were written before his bombshell disclosure. Our district attorney, Daniel Donovan, has established a very tough policy on habitual drunk drivers.His spokesman, William Smith, said: “Dan’s policy in a nutshell is that in a first offense we do not seek jail time in most cases except for extreme circumstances (death, serious injury, massive property damage, or other mitigating circumstances). We look for a disposition which will have a revocation of the license and treatment if the person is found to have a substance or alcohol abuse problem. In a second offense, we will seek jail time, as we will for all subsequent arrests.”

When headlines in the local paper screamed “Vito could spend five days in jail” reporters began asking questions about his record that sums up what’s wrong with Congress. Basically, it’s “What have you done for me lately?” Cormac Gordon wrote in the Advance about a light rail proposal for the borough: “Yet, not only has no congressional representative down through the years found a way to bring home real federal funding for such a project. None of them, and that includes Fossella, have ever seriously tried.”

Is that how we’re supposed to judge our representative? How much pork can we get from the taxpayers? When the federal government gets involved in local community projects, we end up with colossal boondoggles that are a waste of billions of dollars Whenever I pass the massive $600 million Frank Lautenberg train depot in Secaucus, N.J., I’m amazed at its size. It also does not have any parking spaces, so please explain how that is supposed to encourage drivers to take the train?

The only personal knowledge I have of Vito Fossella is what I’ve observed. I know that he has had to deal with tragedy in his personal life, and while I’m not excusing him from responsibility, I always wonder why women who target an attractive man have no respect for the wife and children in his life.

Vito Fossella has maintained a real presence in his congressional districts. He visits the schools, hospitals, and adult homes, marches in parades, and is accessible to constituents here and in Washington, D.C. He works harder in proposing legislation that benefits us rather than trying to secure pork, and it will be hard to find a more committed representative for Staten Island and Brooklyn.

In a press conference after his arrest, Fossella apologized and swore that this would never happen again. I suggest that he do what George W. Bush did in 1976 after his DUI charge and voluntarily surrender his license for a year. He should also get down on his knees and thank God no one was killed. There, ahem, are no excuses for drunken “Republican” philanderers.

acolon@nysun.com