Through A Looking Glass, Darkly

I have often lamented that one reason we don't get better people running for public office is because of the invasive scrutiny to which candidates and their families are subject. Granted, more who hold high office are not tainted by scandal than those who are (I think), but those who are tend to be doozies!

A headline on Drudge pointed to the efforts by John Edwards former(?) mistress's attempts to quash the release of a 'personal video', ie:, sex tape. It goes to show all that intense scrutiny isn't enough or is it we usually don't pay enough attention?

When compared to sex scandals among the privileged and ruling classes of other countries, our randy politicians look like pikers. Liaisons with ladies of the night or 'soul mates' in Argentina or educating interns. Eh. It's happened so many times before. It will happen again. We have such a huge capacity for forgiveness.

Then there is John Edwards. The gift that keeps on giving. Hub and I have been contemplating whether he was driven to his indiscretion by a domineering wife using her illness as a foil. That's how cynics think. Not that we are in any way giving him a pass!

Yet here is a man who could have been President! He was a Vice Presidential nominee then a candidate with a wife knowing of his dalliances. We know that with political egos these are not uncommon happenings but had he been elected what kind of leader would he have been? What would his mistress have decided to do and what would his wife have done? I'd say there are some character issues with the lot of them. Sure, the same goes for Bill and Hillary and so many others on the state level it's enough to boggle your prurient sensitivities!

Yet I look at President Obama. Right now he is being pilloried for not keeping campaign promises as if he had committed the most egregious of mortal sins. Okay. He's hasn't proven to have the leadership capabilities I had hoped for or expected. To date, however, he is still a decent man who is a good father and husband. I think. With his ethereal 'big picture' persona he might be better off in a think tank than as President, but job capabilities aside, he is still a decent man. As was his predecessor.

Now I may be dead wrong about all of this. Just because headlines haven't been made doesn't mean there isn't smoke soldering somewhere. Let's say there isn't for the sake of the point. I'd rather live with his protocol faux pas than suffer seeing Presidential indiscriminate behavior all over the tabloids one more time.

Sex tape? Please! While running for President? We dodged the 'good judgement' bullet with this guy. Maybe instead of toning down that scrutiny we ought to ratchet it up and include the enablers! The spouses who know. The lovers. And those loyalists who turn a blind eye.