In an interesting turn of events, ABC News is reporting that the notoriously heterosexual Representative Mark Foley – yeah, he’s one of ours, down here in this tropical paradise – has sent a batch of emails to a 16 year old Capitol Hill page.

Congressman Mark Foley's office says the e-mails were entirely appropriate and that their release is part of a smear campaign by his opponent.

In the series of e-mails, obtained by ABC News, from Rep. Foley (R-FL) to the former page, Foley asks the young man how old he is, what he wants for his birthday and requests a photo of him.

The concerned young man alerted congressional staffers to the e-mails. In one e-mail, the former page writes to a staffer, "Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out."

Another notoriously heterosexual Republican politician, Ken Mehlman, has not yet been caught up in such a tempest.

Foley's office acknowledges that Foley wrote the e-mails to the young man but says they were completely innocent and that Foley is at most guilty of being "too friendly and too engaging" with young people.

The e-mails were sent from Foley's personal AOL account, and the exchange began within weeks after the page finished his program on Capitol Hill. In one, Foley writes, "did you have fun at your conference…what do you want for your birthday coming up…what stuff do you like to do."

In another Foley writes, "how are you weathering the hurricane…are you safe…send me an email pic of you as well…"

The young man forwarded that e-mail to a congressional staffer saying it was "sick sick sick sick sick."

Now that’s interesting. Doing the people’s business on his own time and his own personal AOL email account, eh? It has to be the people’s business, after all, since our Mr Foley is such a dedicated representative of the people.

Elizabeth Nicolson, Foley's Chief of Staff, said they believe the e-mail exchange began when the page asked Foley for a recommendation and that the subsequent exchange was totally innocent. She said Foley's office believes the e-mails were released by the opposition as part of an "ugly smear campaign."

I'd better alert AOL security to tell them someone hacked Rep. Foley’s AOL account, eh? Dangerous threat to national security, when a Republican gets caught with his pants down – figuratively speaking.

I feel so feliciously dirty, writing this story. Move over, Ana Marie Cox, I’m ready for a job at time.com.

9/29 UPDATE: Representative Foley has resigned his seat in Congress, apparently to immediate effect. As he is up for re-election this year, and we are - what? 5 weeks from the election, there may not be any chance at all of the R's putting in a pinch hitter, if you will forgive my pun.

Looks like we might be one closer to taking back the House, and turning it back into an American institution.