Saturday, August 9, 2008

When The Private Becomes Public

So- yet another male politician who proclaimed himself to be all about faithfulness and truthfulness has been outed as just one more guy who couldn't keep it in his pants.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask this question- MEN! What's UP with that?
Oh, bad choice of words. Actually, good choice of words.

I am quite frankly baffled. It's not that I don't understand how infidelity happens. And it's not like I think it's really anyone's business UNLESS you've run for president and said something like this to Katie Couric in an interview:


"I think every single candidate for president, Republican and Democratic have lives, personal lives, that indicate something about what kind of human being they are. And I think it is a fair evaluation for America to engage in, to look at, what kind of human beings each of us are, and what kind of president we'd make."

And then? Well, it is everyone's business. While presenting himself as a family man invested entirely in his wife and children, as a man who was living with the knowledge that his wife's health was tenuous (and I don't care if her cancer was in remission- that's such a ridiculous subterfuge) he went right on ahead and not only slept with this other woman, he paid her over a hundred thousand dollars, which is not an insignificant sum, out of campaign money, for making campaign videos although she had no experience in the field at all. That covers a lot of bases in why it's our business. He was putting himself out there as a candidate for president under the guise of being who he was NOT. And he himself made that point quite succinctly.

But the thing that makes me wide-eyed in wonder is this- he KNEW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if the knowledge of this affair got out, it would not only devastate his wife and children, it would quite certainly end any political hopes he had. And he certainly seemed to have a lot. When it was announced that his wife's cancer had reoccurred and that they were going to go ahead with his run for president, I was frankly astounded. I even thought about writing about it. But I decided that really, it was their business, their decision, and if his run for office was that important to them, who was I to judge?

And I don't think I'm really judging the man for having had an extramarital affair. What I am judging him for is his stupidity and hypocrisy. Sometimes urges overcome common sense. I am aware of that. But when those urges overcome every decent moral fiber and every bit of logic and intelligence that a man has- well, I just have to shake my head in wonder.

Perhaps we'd all be better off if our country wasn't so damn puritanical about such things. If we were more like the French who don't pretend to be so shocked when a politician or public figure has a mistress or even another family on the side. It's almost expected that a man in power would take every advantage of his situation. If the man and his wife are at a place of understanding about such an affair, who are we to judge?

But we're not like that here in the good old US of A. Our politicians and public figures have to present themselves as heterosexual, faithful Christians to get elected to anything, which of course only leads to situations exactly like this one.

Either we need to grow up and accept that all humans are fallible and quit caring so much about what happens in what used to be called the "private lives" of others or else the people who seem to raise their voices the most stridently in defense of God, Chastity, and Truth need to walk the walk as well as they talk the talk.

And I just feel so sad for the families that these men's actions tear apart.

And I am baffled.

7 comments:

  1. It was really bad judgement by John Edwards to have the affair then lie about it, then keep campaigning for president. It's too bad about this. I was thinking he could still run for president in 2012 in Obama loses. Now that's out of the question and there's no one else. Maybe it was a good thing that he got kicked out of the primary race. Men just have a really hard (no pun intended) time keeping it in their pants...

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  2. No one else? What about...Hillary?
    I haven't given up hope there.

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  3. Re: John Edwards, Ms. Moon, my wise father pointed out to me that what a person advertises tends to be his (or her) weakest point.

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  4. What did Shakespeare say? "Thou doest protest too much?" Close enough.

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  5. put a fork in him. He's done.

    turns out he is exactly what he looks like. yawn.

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  6. Yeah...I hear ya.

    I can't think of anything else...you covered it all.

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