Mark Foley

They probably could have looked the other way.

The news that Assemblyman Neil Cohen is under investigation for allegedly having child pornography on his office computer was painful to read.

But learning that it was his legislative runningmates -- Senator Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman Joe Cryan -- who turned him in was most shocking.

Lesniak and Cryan often get tagged as the bad guys in Jersey politics. And yet despite how difficult it must have been, they did the right thing by turning in their colleague.

We shouldn't lower the bar too much on what constitutes ethical behavior, but let's give credit where it's due. Not all legislators would have done the right thing in the same situation. Less than two years ago we learned that some of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's colleagues knew about his advances toward underage pages, yet remained silent. Some still remain in office.

We'll probably learn more about how this unfolded in the days and weeks ahead, but we should at least give credit to Ray Lesniak and Joe Cryan for the unenviable role they played in this sad chapter in New Jersey politics.

And while we're on the topic, if the legislators are looking for bonus points, they can extend their do-gooder streak by pushing to make sure that whoever replaces Cohen looks a little more like the people they represent.

Although the 20th district's residents are over one-fifth African American, one-third Hispanic, and one-half female, the delegation has been 100 percent white and male for a long time.

Who wants extra credit?

Eliot Spitzer is just the latest in a long list of political sex scandals that goes back to the Continental Congress. Politicker.com has a list of America’s Top 53 Political Sex Scandals that includes prostitutes, sex with minors, strippers, extramarital affairs, massages, nude swim parties, and even a murder. New Jersey gets three slots on the list.CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LIST

Democratic congressional candidate Linda Stender's new direct mail piece addresses a 2003 incident involving Republican Michael Ferguson and his congressional pin in a Georgetown bar. Stender, who is touting an internal poll that shows her trailing the three-term incumbent by just seven points, seems to think that this issue will hurt Ferguson in the wake of the sex scandal involving former Florida GOP Congressman Mark Foley.

Embattled former Florida GOP Congressman Mark Foley had just four major campaign donors in New Jersey this cycle:

Peter Flood of Morristown, the COO of UCT Coatings, contributed $2,000; James Higgins of Ho-Ho-Kus, a Morgan Stanley Dean Witter executive, gave $1,000; Peter Lawson-Johnston of Princeton, a partner at Guggenheim Brothers, wrote a $300 check, and real estate developer Earle Mack of Fort Lee donated $2,100.

Only one member of New Jersey's congressional delegation has received funds from Foley: Republican Michael Ferguson, who was the recipient of a $1,000 contribution.