Sen. John Ensign's affair
What the scandal will cost a Nevada senator considered a rising Republican star
Sen. John Ensign has admitted to having an extramarital affair.
(Corbis/Brooks Kraft)
John Ensign is the new poster boy for Washington hypocrisy, said Max Blumenthal in The Daily Beast. The Nevada Republican senator —who once insisted then-president Bill Clinton should resign after having an affair—admitted Tuesday that he had an extramarital affair with a married campaign staffer. So much for Ensign's 2012 presidential ambitions—you don't build a political career as a darling of the Christian right and defender of the sanctity of marriage and recover from something like this.
Forget the "predicable cries of 'hypocrisy' from leftists," said the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an editorial. In fact, Ensign was probably pushed to go public by opposition "bloodhounds" who got wind of the affair. But "it's worth pointing out that this is a personal matter," so Ensign should stand firm as "one of the more principled spokesmen" in Washington for keeping big government out of our lives—that's what Nevada voters elected him to do, "no matter what his personal imperfections."
Don't worry, John Ensign is unlikely to resign over an extramarital affair, said Nate Silver in FiveThirtyEight. "This will make for plenty of interesting water-cooler gossip, particularly since Ensign has a penchant for calling on people to resign for various and sundry moral and ethical lapses—notably Larry Craig, Bill Clinton, and Ted Stevens (but not David Vitter)." More significantly, it "certainly would seem to give the Democrats a leg up" when Ensign's term is up in 2012.
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8 Comments
Posted by Mike Licht, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 10:37 am John Ensign is a veterinarian. Is Neuter and Spay the Only Way?See:notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/johnensignpromisekeeper/
Posted by Michael J. Gorman, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 3:50 pm Do we need Masters Johnson, Kinsey and Sigmund Freud to tell us that sexual promiscuity and hypocrisy go handinhand for many people in power? It's like, I can do it, but I'll prosecute or punish you for doing it. That very hypocrisy turns me on and gives me a feeling of power and control.
Posted by Mike, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 3:58 pm It's the hole, Judge not lest ye be judged that gets these guys. They make a career out of passing judgment on others indiscretions, what should they expect when they fall from grace? He's a hypocrite because he refuses to take the medicine he has prescribed for others. Resign.
Posted by Dan Dover, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 5:52 pm So, keep him in the senate. Let this be the time that we finally disconnect sex from service. I was ashamed of Bill Clinton, mostly because she was so young. Ensign should be voted out by his constituents for hypocrisy. Next time some Democrat has a sexual embarrassment, let the Republicans remember this and just lay off. Since he is married, it is up to his wife,his family, and the people who elected him to decide what THEY should do. As long as one is not having sex with children or animals, one's bedroom should be one's own business.
Posted by PAUL DAVIS, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 7:51 pm This is more than just a Senator having an affair. Ensign had the husband, wife and their son working for him. The Senator not only has sex with a woman but a married woman. He claims the husband and the wife were very close of friends of his who worked for him. This is the way Ensign treats his close friend. He has sex with his wife behind his back for 8 months. What type of person would do this to a close friend? Apparently this is the third reported affair for Ensign. With friends like Ensign there is certainly no need for enemies.
Posted by David Corkill, Thursday, June 18, 2009, 4:57 am Nasty Nasty Republican! Take that Rush!
Posted by Aaron, Thursday, June 18, 2009, 11:55 am If hypocrisy was fodder for resignation in politics, they would ALL have to go... wait that's not such a bad idea!
Posted by easydoesit, Saturday, June 20, 2009, 9:24 am He's an idiot. And so is the husband of the woman he had the affair with.He has his health and a job. He hasn't lost anything.
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