Ensign: I did a bad, bad thing
posted at 8:16 pm on June 16, 2009 by Allahpundit
Mitigating factors: He was separated from his wife at the time, or so he says, and was reportedly being blackmailed over this, which prompted the disclosure. Exacerbating factors: His mistress was married — her husband’s the accused blackmailer — and Ensign’s been known to tsk-tsk loudly and publicly about his colleagues’ indiscretions. Quoth Andy Levy, “Preaching about the sanctity of marriage while cheating on your wife is the same as a Treasury Secretary not paying his taxes.”
Political insiders in the Senate and in Nevada told POLITICO that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the sources said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways.
Sometime later, a Nevada source said, Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had what this source described as a positive encounter. Sources said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money – at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public. In his Las Vegas press conference, Ensign declined to give specifics about the woman involved but did say she and “her husband were close friends and both of them worked for me.”
His wife issued a statement too saying that the marriage is back on track. I don’t think this will hurt him much if he launches a presidential bid, but then, I don’t think his presidential bid would go anywhere regardless. Exit question: Why’d he announce this today? Is it because the blackmailer was threatening to disclose it tomorrow or is it because Ensign knew it’d be buried under headlines about Iran and health care?
Blowback
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Another example why the GOP needs to drop the “family values”, “moral values” political theme. It always comes back to bite. Stick to economics, federalism and strong defense.
Chekote on June 16, 2009 at 10:39 PM
Geesh lighten up. It’s not like he pulled this off during the 7th inning stretch at a Yankees game with an underage girl.
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
NOT
Am I the only one that woke up in January in bizzaro world?
proudteadrinker on June 16, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Chekote,
Don’t you have enough to worry about than the GOP’s values? They never said they were perfect… and conservatives (values and all) represent the largest single ideological group in America. Why does everyone want to change the GOP? Aren’t ya’ll getting enough change from the current administration? Why can’t you take care of you own house and leave mine alone…
but thank you for your opinion,
Denney Crane
.
DenneyCrane on June 16, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Some old tool…
yubley on June 16, 2009 at 10:54 PM
I propose the same penalty for Senator Ensign as was given to the President who signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law for his similar conduct in having a sexual relationship with a staffer.
Oh, wait…
trfogey on June 16, 2009 at 10:54 PM
They never said they were perfect…
Another reason to drop the “family values”. People are not perfect. They are going to screw up. It is losing proposition to moralize and pontificate about family values.
Why does everyone want to change the GOP?
Because they are losing. BIG!
Chekote on June 16, 2009 at 11:00 PM
So you’re offended at being called stupid and then call right stupid?
Esthier on June 16, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Supposedly it was due to the blackmailer.
Damn shame that we cannot discover a pattern of predatory behavior as we had with Cigarman. Maybe next time?
DannoJyd on June 16, 2009 at 11:05 PM
I mostly agree with you, I would add individual freedom, and support for the Constitution. The problem is those subjects are boring until the impact from their loss is felt. Morality and politicians are almost always diametrically opposed, and many politicians just use morals as a hook to get votes. I doesn’t suprise me when a politician accuses another of immorality that they are just as immoral if not more so.
Rode Werk on June 16, 2009 at 11:05 PM
“I did a very bad thing
my p*nis agrees”
blatantblue on June 16, 2009 at 11:16 PM
Err, what you say matters not at all if you can’t be trusted to keep your word. If you pledge yourself to one person, keep your word. THAT’s the issue.
onthego on June 16, 2009 at 11:17 PM
Heh – wow 210 posts. A politician cheats on his spouse.
My world just doesn’t make sense anymore!
reaganaut on June 16, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Huh? I don’t recall “family values” being front-and-center since the Murphy Brown thing. And if those value are worthless, why is federalism of any use? All values should be thrown away. They ALL come back to bite us, don’t they?
ddrintn on June 16, 2009 at 11:30 PM
I like that!
Anyway, ever notice how the Libtrolls come out for stuff like this…the same ones who thought Clinton messing around was ‘cool’ and ‘hip’. But then of course they mitigate it by saying that Liberals aren’t hypocrites because they don’t support so-called family values…so if you don’t pretend to have any values then whatever you do is OK.
Actually, I’m still trying to figure out what values they do embrace? Seems to be whatever values Conservatives embrace. Perhaps we should start valuing breathing air…think they’ll bite?
Dr. ZhivBlago on June 16, 2009 at 11:44 PM
I’m not a guy that personally digs that family values stuff, but based purely on politics we probably would do better if we did more family values stuff. The amount of people who are actually happy about doing most of the stuff we do, shrink government, cut programs, etc. is relatively small, we win when people recognize people like us are necessary, they usually don’t feel that great about it.
Family values stuff is one of the things we do that people actually like and get excited about. Sure it to some degree alienates the young people, but there are a lot more people of and above the age of raising children than below it.
I think we need to change the angle on it. There’s a more libertarian angle that’s about enabling families to defend themselves from liberal encroachment on their families, and it’d be better if our politicians didn’t pretend as if their positions were a product of increased moral purity, but a lot of people dig family values, and you’ve gotta give the people what they want.
galenrox on June 16, 2009 at 11:45 PM
Oh, yeah, let’s just say anything goes as long as we stick to the economy. Moral decay is such an inconvenient issue.
mobydutch on June 16, 2009 at 11:46 PM
.
Try as I may Andy, this is a poor comparison. For one is singular and lacking of a marital moral standard which by the way is not against the law. Whereby, this clown Sec. of Treasury broke the law by not paying his taxes and got confirmed anyway. Thanks Allah for providing another reason why you can’t take this smarta@s seriously on a serious matter when he demonstrates his lack knowledge of what is or is not against the law. Hey Andy, the kettle is’nt always the pot. Stay on that REDEYE they need you. What a fact checker you are.
Americannodash on June 16, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Dolemonte and blue, I think you guys are confused. Lizza said that what Vitter and Spitzer did (solicit prostitutes, which is illegal) was wrong, and what Ensign did (commit adultery, which is not illegal) was not as bad.
Pointing out that prostitution is legal in Ensign’s state is about as irrelevant a point as you can make.
tneloms on June 17, 2009 at 12:18 AM
This is and will continue to be a credibility issue that eats away at the heart of the party. We are all human and prone to “bad choices”, but one should not shout from the top of the mountain while standing inside a glass house.
There used to be a time when these “bad choices” had serious consequences, but no more. We used to call it SHAME! The fear of being shunned was enough incentive to resist the temptations.
Liberalism has given us a large part of society demanding tolerance for everything, because it is all relative and no one should ever have SHAME! There are no “bad choices”, unless of course you are a “conservative”.
Back to the core issue: moral decay. It is cancerous. If conservatives are the party that wants to reverse the spread, then we better make sure we do not participate in activities that are counter-productive.
rukiddingme on June 17, 2009 at 12:39 AM
Sue me.
Ugly on June 17, 2009 at 12:40 AM
Why are the sex lives of politicians any of our business? Why do politicians care who we have sex with?
Government has no business in sex.
Aquateen Hungerforce on June 17, 2009 at 1:41 AM
Moron.
TTheoLogan on June 17, 2009 at 2:19 AM
What a ridiculous thing to say. Societies throughout history have fallen largely based on the loss of morality and belief in right and wrong.
Ya’ll are just being wusses.
TTheoLogan on June 17, 2009 at 2:21 AM
Okay anybody else want to confess BEFORE THE 2010 ELECTION really gets underway.
Look I’m a conservative and I’ll admit I’ve had sex BEFORE MARRIAGE…woooo! But when I do get married I will use every ounce of my fiber never to cheat. Besides I hate dating so why would I want to start from square one again?
The minute I heard this story over the radio I was so sad for Engisn. He’s a nice guy a real shame.
At least his wife took him back.
Question?
How much coverage will this get tomorrow compared to the LACK OF COVERAGE OVER JOHN EDWARDS CHEATING ON HIS WIFE!?
rednebulastudios32 on June 17, 2009 at 5:56 AM
The GOP lost the House, Senate and eventually the White because they did not “stick to economics”. They spent like drunken sailors. So along with moral and family values shouldn’t they “drop economics”? Because they sure strayed from fiscal responsibility.
Family and moral values are human values! You teach and preach them because it is the right thing to do! The fact that some politicians do not comply is irrelevant.
RMR on June 17, 2009 at 7:28 AM
Wrong! Google Alienation of Affection.
mossberg500 on June 17, 2009 at 7:29 AM
I’m willing ot bet Lizzy here was/is the town bicycle.
DethMetalCookieMonst on June 17, 2009 at 8:07 AM
Quoth Andy Levy, “Preaching about the sanctity of marriage while cheating on your wife is the same as a Treasury Secretary not paying his taxes.”
Then there should be exactly ZERO media coverage of this?
If he were a Dem, sadly yes…
catmman on June 17, 2009 at 8:19 AM
*I thought what people did in the “privacy of their bedrooms” wasn’t anyone’s business?
catmman on June 17, 2009 at 8:20 AM
You lie to yourself if you believe this behavior doesn’t speak to the character of a man. It does. It must. We joke about being slaves to our penises, but are we so weak that we cannot choose dignity and honor, even with a hard-on? I will no more excuse bad behavior from people I like than from people I don’t. If you sell out your vows for an orgasm, don’t expect me to believe you won’t sell out your principles for a fat check or a seat at the table of power.
SKYFOX on June 17, 2009 at 8:35 AM
Ensign said this affair was “the worst think I have ever done in my life”, which means it must have been even worse than the affair he was having when he got caught back in 2002.
Pride goeth before the fall.
Kasper Hauser on June 17, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Gawd am I sick of men in Congress/Governors (whatever) cheating on their wives and then having to come out publicly in a news conference and tell us all about it and how sorry they are. These guys must have a political “death-wish” to do something so stupid. Thanks to Clinton, there is no shame in it and it’ll be forgotten soon–except for Republicans, but I just don’t care about that. Get a freaking divorce if you want to fool around on your spouse! Incredible.
Renwaa on June 17, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Why tell now? He’s a politician. Therefore, the reason has to be that telling now is what suits his own best interest.
scalleywag on June 17, 2009 at 10:12 AM
What about the “trollop” that he had the affair with. She was married too. I’m tired of only the GUY rightfully being called a scumbag, yet the woman he did it with gets off completely.In this case, considering her husband wanted $$$ she might more rightfully termed a prostitute.
Jeff from WI on June 17, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Since when are lefties outraged by hedonistic behavior? I’m sure Ted could provide some insight.
LarryG on June 17, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Is this considered a good thing because a Republican finally had an affair with a WOMAN.
LevStrauss on June 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Country’s falling apart.
I know! Let’s discuss politicians’ sexuality some more!!
bridgetown on June 17, 2009 at 12:16 PM
The reason I brought it up was to refute her claim that prostitution was illegal. The fact that it’s legal in Ensign’s home state was a convenient coincidence.
Del Dolemonte on June 17, 2009 at 12:58 PM
The hypocrisy with the Clinton defenders comes from several factors.
First of all, they held Clinton to be above the law simply because of what he “lied” about under oath. However, that doesn’t cut it on two levels. First, felony perjury is perjurt no matter what the lie’s subject is. And second, Clinton’s own Administration had previously (successfully) prosecuted a female Federal employee (VA) for lying under oath about sex.
But the saddest hypocrisy is that they gave him a total pass for engaging in an adulterous sexual relationship in the workplace, with a workplace subordinate.
NOW had railed against such behavior for decades, but when Clinton did it they gave him a pass. And one female reporter even volunteered to take Lewinsky’s place.
BTW C-BS Radio “news” is flogging this Ensign story relentlessly today.
Del Dolemonte on June 17, 2009 at 1:04 PM
You have to wonder: 1) why they do it and 2) if they do, why with the wife of a member of your staff.
It looks like Ensign made a trip to Iowa for nothing.
bw222 on June 17, 2009 at 2:58 PM
Allahpundit, we’re not that into Ensign to know his sway on the issues in the Senate.
Imperfection is all we can expect from each other as humans. So far as politicians in sensitive intelligence positions in the Senate, any skeletons in the closet can be used to blackmail votes.
Ensign came straight out and admitted his infidelity, and took full personal responsibility for having let down his wife. He expressed full regret for the biggest mistake he’s ever made in his life. Whether his wife accepts his penance is up to her. She says they’re together to stay. Maybe it was his wife’s idea to make Ensign admit his sin in public before she’d stay with him. But I doubt that the “other” woman’s husband, Ensign’s adm.asst., wasn’t in the know all along. You can’t be that close to Ensign, be in charge of Ensign’s schedule, and be unaware of where your wife is.
AS A SENATOR, I don’t know his record. I would hope that his resignation from his Senate leadership position does not leave conservatives in the lurch.
maverick muse on June 17, 2009 at 3:24 PM
So he’s prone to infidelity, and getting caught, and apologizing in public for getting the 7 year itch. At least we know he’s not a stalwart on ethics.
I’m going to read his Senate internet page now.
maverick muse on June 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM
This behaviour is how you gain street cred in the democrat party right?
daesleeper on June 17, 2009 at 3:31 PM
When she’s an elected official LIKE HE IS, I’ll care. Otherwise, yes, she’s an anonymous trollop like many other women who do this.
Renwaa on June 17, 2009 at 3:46 PM
As despicable as the behavior is, he should not resign. Resigning is exactly what the Democrats want him to do.
Sxyrzrbck on June 17, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Yea, man; Play with somebodies pee pee and you get promoted! Haven’t you laernt nuthin yet?
Cybergeezer on June 17, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Mark McKinnon
Cheating is cheating, and then there’s cheating. None is good. But unless YOU are spotless and without sin, STFU.
Larry Craig’s problem wasn’t an affair with another woman; it was picking up multiple strange men for sex. I said at the time that if Craig’s wife was fine with it, his reputation would prevent him from being on any posts of national security at that point. There’s still other work needing to be accomplished in the Senate that Craig would have gladly performed responsibly. It was up to Idaho whether they wanted Craig in office.
It is NOT the media’s right to determine who wins, who loses, who stays and who goes. Mark McKinnon just wants buttered bread with plenty of jam, regardless of what he has to do to get it or who pays him to say what he writes.
Ensign didn’t murder or drown anyone like Teddy Kennedy and other Kennedys have. So McKinnon, deliver your blows equally or not at all from your own moral ground.
maverick muse on June 17, 2009 at 8:49 PM
When a Democrat cheats like Bill Clinton his ratings go up and he is praised from hill to sea. Heck, he can even lie to the US public on national TV and lie under oath, but the Democrat is golden.
When a Republican cheats he is vilified.
TexasDude on June 17, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Pentacostal? Check. “Promise (snicker)-Keeper? Check. Hypocrite? Check. At least this “Conservative” patriot cheated with a woman!
simplesimon on June 17, 2009 at 9:22 PM
Time for conservatives to quit pushing the perfectionist envelope, distracting themselves from staying on target as the loyal opposition to Obama’s crimes against the Constitution.
maverick muse on June 17, 2009 at 9:36 PM
Am I the only person here who’s never heard of this guy?
Oh the heartache, as HA bloggers say!
No, not really. Because like I said before, I’ve never heard of him.
kg598301 on June 18, 2009 at 12:05 AM
OH NO, the GOP is DOOMED! We have lost our only chance at another presidential bid, thanks as always for the scoop Allah!
Ha ha but seriously, who is this guy & why do I only find out he’s a contender for the presidency when he cheats on his wife?
Oh hell, never mind. I’m going to bed.
kg598301 on June 18, 2009 at 12:33 AM
The republican party is never going to recover from the politcal wilderness if it keeps shooting itself in the foot. Claiming to be the party of morals and virtue yet having prominent members dipping their wicks is akin to socialists claiming economic credability. People “say” they don’t care about these types of incidents, but rest assured when it comes time to cast their vote, they certainly take hypocritical incidents like this into acount.
Chook on June 18, 2009 at 2:09 AM
Simple minded is back to inform all “Conservatives” that we are religious, liars, hypocrites, and may be gay. This coming from one who has no moral compass because everything feels good!
rukiddingme on June 18, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Faulty logic. This is a far cry from algore taking a private jet to a conference on global warming. The fact that the couple separated in no way is a statement on family values. Contrary to the flawed beliefs of “liberal” simpletons.
jdkchem on June 18, 2009 at 1:23 PM
As they were separated how exactly is it cheating? It was perfectly ok when it was knob polishing in the oval office but it is not ok for a person who has separated to start another relationship?
Before you babel off about hypocrisy clean your own barn first.
jdkchem on June 18, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Which is the bigger hypocrisy: teaching, preaching, and practicing morality with an occasional lapse, or teaching, preaching and practicing immorality with an occasional lapse? Living in a society and culture that [still] expects individuals to respect and honor their vows through morality and ethics but sometimes failing vs. practicing the anarchy that comes with no standards of morality and ethics even though you might occasionally mess up and keep your vows?
Every generation is responsible for preaching and practicing morality so that the highest state of civilization possible can be passed on to our children. Any generation that thinks it is free to be tolerant of immoral and unethical behavior has narcissistically determined that its own opinion of itself is more important than its respect for its heritage and its love for its descendants.
Simplesimon, You are a fool in sheep’s clothing. I hope you aren’t a parent.
rwenger43 on June 18, 2009 at 4:12 PM
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