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This is so mind-bogglingly stupid I hardly know what to say. Now that Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) has pled guilty to accepting bribes and illegal favors in exchange for his congressional muscle, you would expect that he would be immediately forced to resign from Congress.

Not so, says House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH). That decision will be left up to Ney. Here's the short version:

WALLACE: Should he resign from the House?

BOEHNER: That’s a decision that he and his family are going to have to make.

Head on over to ThinkProgress for the full transcript and video.

Meanwhile, Ney has come up with what I must say is a fairly novel excuse for his actions. Apparently the alcohol made him do it:

"I have made serious mistakes and am sorry for them," Ney said in the statement. "I am very sorry for the pain I have caused to my family, my constituents in Ohio and my colleagues." He said he recently recognized that "a dependence on alcohol has been a problem for me."

"I am not making any excuses, and I take full responsibility for my actions. Over the years, I have worked to help others, but now I am the one that needs help," Ney's statement said.

I love when people make excuses and then say they aren't making excuses. You want to admit to your mistakes and make amends? Wonderful. But leave the discussion of your demons for another time. Step up and take real responsibility for what you have done. It should be "I did it. I was wrong. I'm sorry." not "I did it. I was wrong. I'm sorry. And I'm an alcoholic."

The first is an admission and an apology. The second is an excuse:

–noun 8. an explanation offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or for release from an obligation, promise, etc.: His excuse for being late was unacceptable. 9. a ground or reason for excusing or being excused: Ignorance is no excuse.