NYTimes: Stunning admission of guilt by Duke

Congressman Resigns After Admitting He Took Bribes - New York Times: "Mr. Cunningham, 63, made a brief and tearful announcement to a group of reporters outside a federal courthouse in San Diego after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. He admitted to taking money from a military contractor in exchange for his supporting the contractor's efforts to secure Defense Department contracts. The eight-term Republican congressman, one of the most highly decorated fighter pilots of the Vietnam War, also pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.

'The truth is I broke the law,' Mr. Cunningham, and 'disgraced my family.'

'I forfeited my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions,' and, he added, his voice breaking, 'most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.'

'I can't undo what I have done but I can atone,' he told reporters.

Sentencing was set for Feb. 27. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a six-figure fine."

UPDATE: Kos puts it well, "DeLay, Conrad Burns, and the rest of the corrupt Republican cabal would be well served by reading this and taking it to heart."