The McGreevey Defense

I just hope that former Congressman Mark Foley, alleged sexual predator, doesn't use the Jim McGreevey defense. Foley, who resigned his well-to-do Florida congressional seat on Friday, is accused of writing sexually explicit notes to the male pages who worked on Capitol Hill. Formerly the Governor of New Jersey, McGreevey, who put his alleged (Cipel, the alleged boyfriend, denies it) male lover in a powerful New Jersey post while in office, recently came out with a book retailing his journey out of the closet (and out of the Governor's mansion). I don't know about you, but I am sick of men (and it's mostly men) who excuse their bad, immoral and dishonest dealings by claiming that they were rent by the pressures of having to lead double lives. Now that they have repented of their misdeeds, they can finally walk in the sunlight of disclosure, write books that will bring in lots of money, and serve as consultants. Caveat-McGreevey, as far as I know, has never been accused of being a sexual predator. Nor is this a "gay issue." Think ex-President Bill Clinton. If Foley is guilty, he's not the first member of Congress to harass male and female pages. What is so infuriating is that these men seem to think that a public apology, expressed remorse, a scrub in the confessional bath, is enough to exonerate them. No way. They have left a trail of hurt and mistrust in their path. Reparations for that kind of abuse won't be made right with a book that hits the top of the charts on Amazon. Rebuilding faith and hope, restoring trust takes a lifetime of quiet, non-public, repair and rehabilitation.