HONOLULU -- State House Democrats met Wednesday afternoon in a closed-door meeting to discuss how to revive the Hawaii Superferry and a face high-profile ethics challenges for their two, top leaders.

The meeting was supposed to be exclusively about the Superferry, but that issue was joined by the extreme DUI charge against Vice Speaker John Riki Karamatsu and the employment by Superferry of the House speaker's son.

House Speaker Calvin Say said he expected to be grilled by members of his own party who said he should have told them his son was working as an account executive for the Superferry.

Sitting at Say's side was his protege, Karamatsu, receiving warm greetings from some members to whom he planned to apologize for an embarrassing arrest for being highly intoxicated when he crashed his car on Moanalua Freeway early on Tuesday morning.

Some lawmakers said privately they were further embarrassed by what Karamatsu told KITV. (Watch that interview.)

"I am disappointed with myself the situation, but there's some circumstances that will be brought up later," Karamatsu said on Tuesday.

He meant problems with his car, which he blamed for the wreck.

Meanwhile, Republicans said the challenges point out the need for bipartisan review of ethics rules.

"It gives us the scrutiny that otherwise the public has been asking for. For years we needed to have a little bit more sunlight in the Legislature," Republican Rep. Gene Ward said.

Karamatsu avoided media questions before the caucus.

Karamatsu has been criticized by advocates of tougher drinking laws. He was one of a few votes against issuing criminal citations to underage drinkers, and proposed reducing taxes on spirit coolers popular with young drinkers.