The news today that Nevada Senator John Ensign, a supposed presidential candidate in some circles, has cheated on his wife through having an extra marital affair, should not be surprising, as the "family values" party is full of hypocrites and worse.
Ensign joins Senators David Vitter of Louisiana, Larry Craig of Idaho, and John McCain of Arizona, and Congressmen Bob Livingston of Louisiana, Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Henry Hyde of Illinois,Vito Fossella of New York, Mark Foley of Florida, and Dan Burton of Indiana, and also former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani, and other past and present members of the GOP who have been disloyal to their wives. Not that Democrats are angels, as we know that Gary Hart, Bill Clinton and John Edwards at the least also engaged in illicit sexual activity, along with Governors Elliott Spitzer and James McGreevy and others as well.
The thing that bothers me the most is that many of those guilty of such trangressions have had the nerve to offer themselves up for the Presidency, including Bill Clinton, Gary Hart, John Edwards, John McCain, and Rudy Guiliani; and Newt Gingrich and John Ensign have been flirting with the idea for the next round.
These politicians, and this includes President Clinton, have seemed unable to have a sense of shame about their activities. Their behavior has made them a terrible model for the future generation of leadership, and they seem unable to understand that their conduct is something that they cannot hide or get away with. If nothing else, the idea of "getting caught" should be enough of a deterrent, but obviously it is not, regrettably.
I completely agree. However, I remind you that John McCain has often called his past conduct his greatest sin or something akin to that. While that does not erase the sin, repentance goes a long way towards soothing the wrath of those affected by it.
In this aspect, I would hope Republicans and Democrats alike would observe and emulate President Obama. 🙂