The House Ethics Committee "flunked" according to the Orlando Sentinel. That report has had one positive benefit, it has renewed and strengthened the calls for strong ethics reform -- reform that includes an Office of Public Integrity:

If willful ignorance among members and staff to Mr. Foley's exploits and reckless endangerment of teenage pages doesn't break any rule or call for any penalty, the committee's standards aren't low. They're subterranean.

The long-awaited report on the Foley scandal was an acid test as to whether the House ethics committee -- evenly split between Republicans and Democrats -- was finally ready to wake up to its responsibilities after years of slumber. The committee flunked.

Trusted voices on ethics from both sides of the Capitol, including Democratic Rep. Marty Meehan of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have called for an independent, nonpartisan office of public integrity. Such an office would take charge of investigating suspected misconduct from the ethics committees in both chambers. Investigations conducted by a truly independent office wouldn't get bogged down in partisan politics, or be blunted by members trying to run interference for their colleagues.

Next month Democrats will officially take control of both the House and the Senate from Republicans. That changing of the guard alone won't clean up Congress. Both parties have been ensnared in scandals in recent months.

Instead, it will take strong direction from the new leaders to chart a more ethical course and begin regaining the public's trust. The committee's outrageous verdict makes it clear that fixing the broken ethics-enforcement process is an essential part of any meaningful move toward reform.