Adultery and Public Office

There has been a lot of debate about recent events associated with affairs and adultery among government officials. Should they resign? Are they hypocrites? Can they be trusted in office when they cannot be trusted to stay faithful?

The answers: Common sense should prevail. Republicans need to stop "preaching" to America.

Common sense approach: Public officials, especially elected public officials, should be held to a high standard. We should expect that of our leaders of this great country. One would hope we can find 50 Governors, 435 Congress members and 100 Senators that can meet this standard, but obviously that is not the case. That high standard should include staying focused on the job of solving the problems of their constituents. An affair is a distraction. I personally cannot imagine trying to keep two woman happy. I have a hard enough time keeping one woman happy. An affair increases stress as the person lives a lie. An affair opens the official up to bribery and extortion possibilities. (Reference article on Sen. Ensign - - http://www.mysanantonio.com/50389872.html). An affair can lead to additional mistakes to try and cover-up the situation. An affair shows lack of judgment. For all of the above reasons, an elected government official should step down from any significant leadership roles. Certainly, a Governor should step-down. A Congress member should resign committee leadership positions, but can still be a legitimate Member of Congress. This position is NOT based on a religious superiority or "holier-than-thou" belief. It is a pragmatic position that also is based on the assumption that elected officials have an important job to do and must be held to a high standard. If the elected official makes peace with his family, stops the affair and is reelected by his/her constituency, then remaining in office is viable. At no point does this position tell a person not to have an affair. That is not the jurisdiction of anyone in government. If a person wants to have an affair, do it when you are not a public servant. Do it when a lack of focus, bad judgment or susceptibility to extortion are not going to impact Americans.

How Republicans should address this topic: Stop putting yourself on a pedestal. Democrats do not preach and when a Democrat has an affair it gets washed away. Republicans take the high ground in such an absolute manner, such that when the inevitable occurs the world laughs at the hypocrisy. Republicans need to maintain a high standard in concert with the above common sense approach, but no one should be scorned for committing sins. The truly religious will embrace and pray for a sinner instead of cast out and shame the sinner. Be inclusive. Personally hold the standard, but do not put yourself on a pedestal to be knocked off with a hard fall.