Sen. John Ensign Admits Extramarital Affair

June 17, 2009

Comments

It’s another week, which means that another prominent politician has copped to cheating on his wife. This week, our culprit is noted social conservative Senator John Ensign:

Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), considered a rising star in the Republican Party, yesterday acknowledged an extramarital affair with a former campaign staffer who is married to one of the lawmaker’s former legislative aides.

I am beginning to be of the opinion that if we truly wish to preserve the sanctity of marriage, we need to pass a law that mandates that all married politicians shall, upon taking office, be outfitted with a chastity belt to which only their spouse has the key.

It would save us a lot of time and trouble.

UPDATE (James Joyner): This is, naturally, all over the Interwebs:

Nate Carlile rounds up some of Ensign’s past remarks on the sanctity of marriage. Let’s just say they’re a wee bit embarrassing under current circumstances.

Radley Balko snarks, “Sadly, public acceptance of gay marriage has given yet another conservative politician no choice but to cheat on his wife.“

David Kurtz weighs in with “This Ain’t Stayin’ in Vegas.”

8 responses to “Sen. John Ensign Admits Extramarital Affair”

sam

June 17, 2009 at 6:42 am

Well, as has been observed many times, stuff like this is of interest because the actor is from the Family Values&#8482 party, no? Ensign, Vitter, Craig…would take an Aristophanes to do real justice to the contrast between the rhetoric and the reality.
sam

June 17, 2009 at 7:17 am

™
G.A.Phillips

June 17, 2009 at 7:45 am

LOL, what about if a ugly hotel with ugly wall paper is your favorite one?
Tlaloc

June 17, 2009 at 10:49 am

it is all over teh interwebz with a few curious exceptions. Redstate seems to be deliberately ignoring the matter. They still don;t have so much as a lowly member diary on the topic despite obviously being a site about republican politics and rife with the jeebus freaks.
Steve Plunk

June 17, 2009 at 11:47 am

Why is it so difficult to understand people can take political positions about traditional marriage, speak of the sanctity of the institution, and promote marriage but at the same time fail as a normal human might? We should all aspire to be good but we recognize, as humans, that many fail. That does not diminish the goal? Should we just give up trying? Ensign’s failures here should not be seen as anything other than one man’s weakness. We all have them.
An Interested Party

June 17, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Why is it so difficult to understand people can take political positions about traditional marriage, speak of the sanctity of the institution, and promote marriage but at the same time fail as a normal human might?

Actually, it’s not difficult at all to understand…but it perfectly illustrates the hypocrisy of yet another supposedly highly “moral” politician who preaches one thing to others but practices something different himself…oh, and it is also one more example of how heterosexuals are doing a fine job all by themselves of damaging the institution of marriage, despite the grave warnings of some that homosexuals will do that…
koolmuse

June 17, 2009 at 1:28 pm

The hypocrite should resign immediately……..I take it back he just did….great hahahahaha.

“In 1998, as a House member running against Reid, he called on President Bill Clinton to resign after revelations about his affair with a White House intern. “He sent taxpayer-paid staff out to lie for him, and that is a misuse of office,” Ensign said, adding that the president had “no credibility left.”

In September 2007, Ensign called then- Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) “embarrassing” after Craig was arrested in an airport men’s restroom and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a sex sting. Ensign played the leading role in an unsuccessful effort to force Craig into resigning from the Senate immediately.”