Lurking just over the horizon are liabilities for three Republicans who have topped several national, independent polls for the GOP's favorite 2008 nominee: Sen. John McCain (affair, divorce), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (affair, divorce, affair, divorce), and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (divorce, affair, nasty divorce). Together, they form the most maritally challenged crop of presidential hopefuls in American political history.
Link.
It's a fairly interesting essay, though thoroughly stained with ignorance of vice, virtue, and the effect on public affairs. But then again, most of America is ignorant of such things. Hence, the writer says:
Of course, you could argue that we'd all benefit if reporters didn't write about any of this. But you could also argue that the support voters gave Bill Clinton suggests that they can handle the truth and are capable of distinguishing between public and private behavior. Perhaps the very fact that Gingrich, Giuliani and McCain are even considering presidential runs reflects a growing maturity in American politics.
Ah yes, the need to distinguish between public and private. Why is that? Nearly every examination of a historical figure ends up looking intensely at his home life and seeing how it influenced his public actions, whether it's Pontius Pilate and his wife or Warren Harding's scandalous presidency. The historical lessons are clear: There is no great divide between private and public. The same person walks in both.
If a person doesn't have control of his greed in private life, isn't he more likely to take a bribe in public life. If a person has a terrible temper in private life, isn't he more likely to lose it when we need him to be a good diplomat? If a person is a drunk in private life, isn't he more likely to attend deliberations under the influence? If a person isn't faithful to his betrothed, what makes us think he'll be faithful to 300 million strangers?
Thing is, passion inflames. It distorts the reasoning process. If a person has surrendered himself to passion--and does so repeatedly, to the point it becomes habitual or erupts in serious misconduct, like adultery--the effects stay with the person. It's kind of like a hangover. The most noticeable effects of a passion--the inebriation, erection, the yelling--might be gone, but the effects are still there. Take a look at your worst passion. Do you find yourself more inclined to engage in it later, if you indulged it earlier? I do, and so does everyone else. If you don't, you're a spiritual freak.
