“Blame it on Caprice,” says busted Republican Senator.

State Senator Roy Ashburn became just one more victim of the diligent California Highway Patrol at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, when his state-owned Chevrolet Caprice was observed weaving all over the highway. “It’s not my fault,” he told the officer, according to the police report. “This is an unnatural vehicle that must be recalled and corrected”.

“It’s what you can expect from a car with a name like ‘Caprice,’ ” added the Republican senator, a rigid opponent of gay rights.

The dutiful officer nonetheless gave Senator Ashburn a test with a new kind of breathalyzer that measures words, and he was booked for Driving Under the Influence of Hypocrisy.

Senator Ashburn, a father of four whose most recent campaign carried the theme “Traditional Family Values,” and his young, buff, male companion, had just left the popular downtown Sacramento nightspot called Faces. “They were shit-faced when they left Faces” chortled the officer, overheard speaking to a fellow patrolman, as he turned the back of his red neck to the Channel 13 reporter. “What they should call the bar is F****ts.”

The male companion, who was not observed by the officers until his head popped up when the blue lights flashed, was also given a breathalyzer test, but no trace of alcohol was found due to contamination by some undetermined sticky element.

Senator Ashburn, whose home district is Bakersfield, faces a stiff re-election challenge, and this issue is not expected to help. It’s not known if Bakersfield celebrities Merle Haggard, Rick Mears or Kevin Harvick will take a position.