There is nothing quite as satisfying as the schadenfreude of watching a hypocritical politician “hoist with his own petard” to quote from Shakespeare. It’s a special subset of shame and disapprobation that seems, well, entirely appropriate, when considering the case of State Sen. Roy Ashburn, a Republican from the 18th district. Ashburn, a Roman Catholic father of four daughters, who has a reputation for being anti-gay—he’s voted against every gay rights proposal since his 2002 election and was a supporter of Prop 8—was arrested for suspicion of DUI and having a blood-alcohol level of .14%.

But that’s not the worst of it for the “family values” GOP Senator: Ashburn, a Roman Catholic divorced father of four daughters, had just left a popular Sacramento gay club called Faces, when the arrest was made. From The San Francisco Examiner:

A police report also indicates Ashburn, a fierce competitor of gay rights who stands staunchly against gay marriage, was stopped with an unidentified man in the passenger seat of his state-issued car. While some of the details of the arrest are not known, Ashburn did release a statement after a host of reporters gained access Wednesday’s arrest report.

“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment,” Ashburn said. “I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”

Sources say Wednesday was not the first time Ashburn has been at the nightclub.

Note that the disgraced Senator’s apology neglected to include gay and lesbian voters. Ashburn is barred from seeking another term due to term limitations.

More from around the blogsphere on the Ashburn scandal:

Talking Points Memo’s Roy Ashburn coverage (TPM)

Ashburn dodges gay question (Bakersfield Californian)

How many times do we have to hear about these nauseatingly sanctimonious and duplicitous homophobes before we realize that being a republican is really the perverse lifestyle? I believe the only reason that he is sorry is that he didn’t get some dick before being caught.

‘I believe the only reason that he is sorry is that he didn’t get some dick before being caught.’  You know it!  I’m starting to think that in the narrow Conservative world view that it’s okay to want to suck dick just as long as you stay married and in the closet!

Read the Max Blumenthal book Republican Gomorrah for a complete rundown of Republican homophobic closet cases. It’s made more interesting by a pretty trenchant psychological eval of those involved which explains why they all seem to be Repubs instead of Dems (not that the Dems are exempt from their own brand[s] of self-destructive behavior - they’re just generally not secretly gay while posing as virulent Christian homophobes).