If it wasn't so tragic it would be funny. To no ones surprise the House Ethics Committee discovered that, while several people should be criticized for their failures to be awake enough to reign in Representative Foley's predatory pursuits of pages, no one was found to be seriously culpable (responsible enough to be punished in some way or another). Although the report did say unkind things about former Speaker Hastert and several congressional aides. As many observers of the moral swampland called the Hill know, the Ethics Committee is quite skilled at useless tongue lashings.

To really appreciate the depth of this fiasco, lets just re-imagine the same thing in a different context.

Let us suppose that the principal of a high school (a role analogous to former Speaker Hastert), were to be informed through various other teachers and paid aides of the high school, that one of the teachers at this school had been involved in sexually provocative e-mail exchanges with present and former students of the school. Let us further suppose that none of this information led to any restraint, investigation or even the firing of this teacher.

Does anyone actually believe that once this failure to act was discovered, that this principal, in todays ethical/moral climate, would still be working for the school system, or that the other teachers and paid aides involved would survive the purge that would follow such revelations? Of course not. We rightfully expect high standards of behavior from those to whom we entrust our young people.

But Congress is different. It holds itself to no standards whatsoever. These folks in Washington seem to think we really are dumb. Maybe we are.