U.S. House Republicans were already examining their options on what to do about Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) who was arrested last week in Virginia on drunken driving charges, when the Congressman dropped a new ethical bomb on Thursday.

In a statement, the 43 year old Fossella acknowledged that he had an affair with a former Congressional staffer.  She was the one who bailed him out of jail last week.

Oh, and by the way, they also have a three-year old daughter.

This Love Child news bulletin was not only a shock to many on Capitol Hill, but also evidently to Mrs. Fossella, who lives back on Staten Island with the couple's three boys.

I guess we will see if we have another political wife standing next to her husband while he makes a public statement about "personal transgressions," or if she makes him deal with his troubles on his own.

"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," said Fossella in a statement.

"Wife May Veto Vito" crowed the New York Daily News web site.

This of course, is not the first lawmaker to violate his wedding vows, nor will it be the last from either party.

But it does come at a time when the GOP is already struggling to limit its losses in the Congress, and it comes in a state (New York) where Republican influence in the U.S. House continues to decline.

Already this year, two veteran GOP lawmakers from New York have decided not to run for re-election, and questions quickly swirled about Fosella's future on Thursday.  The filing deadline in that state is not until July.

Fosella's Staten Island district should be one that Republicans can hold with a different candidate.

Then again, the GOP has recently shown that it can lose special elections in very safe districts, like last week in Louisiana and in Illinois earlier in March. 

Republicans also face another tough test next Tuesday in Mississippi.

One thing about this story that did not surprise me, is that Fossella's family was living back in New York and not here in the DC area.

I know this is often a difficult choice for members of the House and Senate, but it is my experience that if you are going to serve in Congress, then you should bring the wife and kids with you.

Why?

If there's no family to attend to at night, then it's too easy to stay out and party with your fellow lawmakers, lobbyists or other friends.

For some lawmakers in their 30's and 40's, it's almost a second chance on Capitol Hill to re-live your college drinking days when there is no wife or family to worry about at home.

Just ask former New York Congressman John Sweeney, who in April 2006 and ended up at a fraternity party where photographs raised questions about whether he was drunk.

That started a series of questions into his private life, which ultimately led to his election downfall, as the GOP lost a seat in upstate New York that had been reliably Republican for years.

That was 2006, when Republicans lost their majorities in Congress.

As a result, top Republicans now have made clear they have little patience for ethical errors by their colleagues, tired of defending someone who turns out to be ethically toxic. 

"I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend," said House Republican Leader John Boehner.

In other words, Mr. Fossella might want to think about becoming an ex-Congressman rather soon.