DUKE OF THE DOCK Cunningham, the Duke-Stir (inset)

According to a soon-to-be-published book, before Cunningham became embroiled in scandal over his rampant bribe-taking, the California Republican privately made amends to Barney Frank, the gay Massachusetts Democrat, for his antigay slurs.

"Look, I want to apologize," Cunningham told Frank, according to Feasting on the Spoils, by investigative reporter Seth Hettena. "I may have said things to you in the past that were harsh. I shouldn't have said those, and I'm not going to say those again." (Among other things, Cunningham had baited Frank into a fight by referring, in a congressional session, to "homos in the military.")

Whence the remorse? According to Hettena, Cunningham renounced his lifelong homophobia after purchasing a yacht, the Buoy Toy, in August 2002 from Scott Schramm. Cunningham later told Schramm, "You know, I used to be very antiwomen, antigay, and a lot of things in my life have changed. And one of those big things was 9/11. That was a big part of my life. I now vote pro-gay, and it's because of you and Lee [Marcum, Schramm's then-partner]."

Cunningham continued, "I'm sure I've met lots of gay people, but I've never met two guys that, you know, were outwardly gay and ... that I would consider drinking buddies and friends and boating buddies and people I want to spend time with ... that also said, 'Oh, by the way, I just happened to be gay.'"

However beneficial for his political development the yacht purchase may have been, however, the Buoy Toy (which Cunningham renamed the Duke-Stir) was nothing but trouble from a legal perspective. The 42-footer, which served as his home for more than a year, was one of the tip-offs investigators had that, just maybe, Cunningham had sources of income other than his Congressional salary.

Feasting on the Spoils (St. Martin's Press) is out in July.