Republican Senator Announces Affair
And I don’t mean a Bar Mitzvah. Nevada Senator John Ensign held a news conference Tuesday to reveal that he had an affair with a campaign worker. Ensign says “I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions.” His wife Darlene says their “marriage has become stronger” and “I love my husband.”
Elected in 2000 and reelected in 2006, Ensign has been a leading conservative among Senate Republicans, playing a key role in demanding the resignation of Larry Craig in September 2007. Ensign called Craig a “disgrace” after he was arrested in June 2007 in an airport men’s restroom on disorderly conduct charges. Craig resisted the calls from Ensign to resign but retired from the Senate last November.
Ensign doesn’t see all sex scandals the same way. He had a different standard for Larry Craig’s scandal than for that of Louisiana Senator David Vitter.
Why, host George Stephanopoulos wanted to know, did the Republicans act so swiftly to get U.S. Sen. Larry Craig to quit after he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges after allegedly trolling for gay sex in a Minneapolis airport men’s room, but say virtually nothing about the antics of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., whose name showed up in the phone records of a Washington D.C. escort service?
Well, Ensign said, those things happened before he got to the Senate. And, “He has not admitted to anything.”
Well, Vitter did admit to being on the DC Madam’s list and received a standing ovation when he returned to the Senate.
Ensign is known for saying he wants good things for his country while Democrats don’t.
I like the fact that I’m hoping for good things for our country that happen to benefit us (Republicans) politically. I’m not sure the other side can say the same.”
Oh, and he missed the vote on the Defense of Marriage Act. Maybe he had a hot date that day.
Whats the difference between a republican senator and a democrat senator cheating on their wives?
Answer: only one of them has to apologize.
OldLefty Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
“only one of them has to apologize.”
The other gets a Special Prosecuter to arrange the old perjury trap and gets impeached.
JFA Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Lefty, it wasn’t a trap! Billy J lied under oath, no? maybe if he would have been honest from the git go things would have been verry different, no?
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:57 am
JFA,
Of course it was the perjury trap, that was the plan, when all other avenues of investigation failed to turn up anything.
Ken Starr was given a blank check to find something, ANYTHING to bring this Bubba (their name) down.
He should not have lied, he should done a Bush and not have shown up at all, just said, “I don’t obey no stink’n subpoenas”
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:04 am
A “perjury trap”? No. Just a sitting President lying to a judge. No excuses. He knew what he was doing.
“It depends on what the definition of the word is is.”
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Absolutely a perjury trap.
You act as though a Republican president would even show up to testify.
The perjury trap is an old tactic. When Whitewater, troopergate, travelgate, socksgate all lead nowhere this was a way to try to unseat an elected president.
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Clinton was smarter than that Lefty. Sorry, no perjury trap. Clinton is a lawyer. He knows the trappings. No more excuses for him, ok.
Never said anything about a Republican president.
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Sorry, you can say what you want, it was clearly the perjury trap, he probably did know it…the smartness came in with “definition of is”.
He should have just refused to testify.
I can agree to no more excuses for Clinton, because he did do it and he did lie, but there also has to be no more excuses for the GOP House and what became known as the “Scam Scaife Project”.
No more excuses for the serial cheaters who wasted millions in money and and time to bring down a president who they didn’t like.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I’m still trying to figure out why it was a “trap”
I may have forgotten some of the details, but to my recollection he was involved in a legal battle over sexual harassment and in the court proceedings he was asked a question to which he lied. When it was found out that he lied beyond a reasonable doubt he was brought up for perjury charges.
I fail to see the trap…
Bill Clinton the politician did some good things…Bill Clinton the person is a dirtbag. The two things that bug me is all the money that was wasted going after Bill Clinton…and the other is that so much of the country apparently has no problem with perjury and sexual harassment.
“He only lied about a BJ…” well actually he lied under oath to a court of law and the american people about his character.
ok..I’m done.
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:07 am
A perjury trap is created when the government calls a witness before the grand jury for the primary purpose of obtaining testimony from him in order to prosecute him later for perjury.
This was as they say an impeachment in search of a crime.
I don’t think anybody believed that there was merit to the Paula Jones case, just that Starr was running out of accusations.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:11 am
someone must have thought it had merit…since they paid her off and all.
Does the fact that the govt. knew he would lie about it make him look better or worse in your estimation?
To me it makes him look worse.
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
How can you be caught in a perjury trap if you tell the truth? You’re telling us Clinton was a liar. Was he an habitual liar or just an occasional liar?
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:17 am
You mean that Clinton settled or that a “donor” paid for her nose job?
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:23 am
yes a donor made the contribution…but if you think Bill didn’t sign off on it, you are more delusional than I thought.
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
No one disputes that he should have told the truth.
He should not have been there to begin with. That is how the GOP avoids theses problems, they just refuse to testify.
The biggest thing about the whole Clinton thing was that it was entertainment, and he always maintained his popularity….because everyone knew it was unimportant.
The reason they never prosecuted Bush for lying about Iraq, is because it is TOO painful.
Now the people know the truth, and they are ashamed, and just want to look away.
To indict the Whitehouse would mean indicting the congress, the media, AND ourselves:
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Bill signed off on what?
{I’m REALLY getting sick of scrolling up to find “reply”}
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I agree with you on that Lefty. Alan’s new format here really sucks. We need to tell Alan to go back to the format he had before this one.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Bill signed off on what?
the payoff of Ms. Jones.
pierre Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
NO, he got caught.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Yes both Republicans and Democrats cheat on their spouses. But there is definitely a difference.
In a speech to “defend the sanctity of marriage and urge passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment Act,” on the Senate floor in 2004, Ensign said “marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded.”
Republicans need to stop worrying so much about equal rights for all Americans to marry and pay closer attention to their own personal “family values”.
OldLefty Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Exactly, Epiphany,
They are the ones who are always claiming to be our moral betters.
flap Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Uh, who is claiming to be a moral better?
And why should libs care about marriage, anyway? It’s a conservative, religious construct that restricts natural sexuality, right?
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:56 am
flap said,
“And why should libs care about marriage, anyway? It’s a conservative, religious construct that restricts natural sexuality, right?”
………………………….
It would seem from the stats that show that divorce is lowest in blue states, as is teen pregnancy.
It’s no wonder that the “cons” feel the need to have the government involved in morals and values, even if it’s phony.
I think there is a real concern among the average people, and quick and easy exploitation by politicians.
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:07 am
“stats show that divorce is lowest in blue states…”
That is because they usually just shack up. Can’t divorce someone you are not married to. Shacking up is just another sore brought to America by the new left in the 1960’s.
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:29 am
“That is because they usually just shack up”.
Show us some stats.
Often the shacking up comes a few years before the marriage, and the “warts” are already known….I’ll take the stable marriage.
I think the combination, of poverty,(red states are the greatest recipients of federal money), and the high rate of unwanted teen pregnancies, lead to unhealthy marriages that end badly.
Most of the enduring marriages I know of personally, are liberals, while some of the greatest stress I had raising my kids were neighbors who are still good friends but who are conservative Christians with Santorium posters in their yards, who had broken homes, no adult supervision, 11 year olds with phones, internet and HBO in their rooms, but they went to church and youth group every week?
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:38 am
If married couples would just follow their vows taken before God, then the divorce rate would be much, much lower.
This isn’t a left-right, conservative-progressive, democrat-republican problem Lefty. This is a societal problem. People go into marriage without the slightest idea what a marriage is suppose to be. The first bump in the road and they are running off to divorce court. And a divorce has become to easy to obtain these days. And of course Hollywood sure sets a bad example of marriage also.
OldLefty Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 8:45 am
“And of course Hollywood sure sets a bad example of marriage also.”
……………………
So have politicians. I am especially offended at those who rant on and on about values while cheating themselves.
Kregg Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Lefty said: They are the ones who are always claiming to be our moral betters.
K: I”ve not heard a single Con claim to be a ‘moral better’ but I HAVE noticed that Cons seem the only ones concerned with morals….
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:04 am
“I”ve not heard a single Con claim to be a ‘moral better’”
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Epiphany Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:19 am
K: I”ve not heard a single Con claim to be a ‘moral better’ but I HAVE noticed that Cons seem the only ones concerned with morals….
You just did Kregg. lol!
Um Cara Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Nice catch, Epi!
Once more…
Kregg the Con: I”ve not heard a single Con claim to be a ‘moral better’
Kregg the Con: I HAVE noticed that Cons seem the only ones concerned with morals
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 7:44 am
In one fell swoop.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
K: “I’ve not heard a single Con claim to be a ‘moral better’ but I HAVE noticed that Cons seem the only ones concerned with morals….”
TD: Really??!?? You’ve forgotten so soon about the Newtster? He claimed to be Clinton’s better because “Clinton was engaging in immoral behavior” while at the same time Newt was screwing around on his wife – who was battling cancer at the time.
Yessir! That’s the Newster for ya. A real Mr.”moral family values” kind of guy.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
“Ensign’s wife, Darlene, said that the couple’s ‘marriage has become stronger’”
How does an extramarital affair strengthen a marriage? How could it ever provide any net gain?
“Ah, honey, so you can’t really can’t trust me anymore. You can rest easy knowing that and our marriage is stronger now that I’m humping every pretty thing that moves.”
anonymouse Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 12:24 am
“How does an extramarital affair strengthen a marriage? How could it ever provide any net gain?”
Net gain, the old fashioned way: diamonds and an ocean front “hers only” vacation home.
jazmine Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Lol, sounds about right.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:26 am
How does an extramarital affair strengthen a marriage?
—
In the full quote he explains that they’ve been going to counseling and have strenghthened their marriage. I don’t think he’s saying the affair directly strenghthened the marriage, however due to the affair it brought them to a crisis point and they had to confront their issues.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Yeah, right. You know she’s never gonna let him forget it. Oh sure. In front of the cameras she gonna say “our marriage has become stronger”, but behind closed doors, she’ll bring up his infidelity every time they have an argument.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:56 am
I didn’t know you were a mind reader and clairevoyent?
How old were you when you realized you had the gift?
TDro319 Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I discovered I was clairevoyent when I started discovering republican “family values”.
Ah Guido, you are so naive. Did you actually fall for that “our marriage is stronger” crap? If so, I have an invisible bridge in Alaska I’d like to sell ya. And you know it’s real. The taxpayers paid for it.
This is an old schtick. I’ve heard the same line of bull from Clinton, Vitter, and Edwards wives.
June 16th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Now,the GOP/right wings will stop meddling in other
people sex lives.
Hey John, Rush Limbo is bending over and grabing his
ankle; he needs your help; and don’t deny him.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:04 am
The first “A” in Nevada is pronounced like ACT.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Wasn’t this guy Ensign “Republican Family Values” Presidential Material?
He dissed Little Bill’s adventures and Uncle Larry Craig…? oh my…
Maybe Diapers Vitters can take him in.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:18 am
“In 1998, as a House member running against [Harry] Reid, he called on President Bill Clinton to resign after revelations about his affair with a White House intern.”
And nowhere does it say whether Mr. Ensign had his affair with a guy or a gal.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:27 am
in the press conference it’s very clear it was with a gal.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I’m trying to figure out why he held the press conference. Did anyone accuse him of having an affair?
Obviously it’s a sad day for him and his family and I hope he and his wife (and the other couple involved) can work through this horrific period of their marriages.
I don’t condone his actions, but this isn’t a huge scandalous “he has to retire” affair. If I was a Nevadan (Nevadian…???) he would definitely lose my vote in 2012 though.
There is a huge difference between this and Larry Criag, Vitter, Clinton etc…As broken laws were involved.
I see it more like John Edwards, morally despicable and shaming. But if John Edwards still had a job I woulnd’t have called for his resignation.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:27 am
We are all humans subject to falling. Some try to hide such behavior until caught then try to deny at first then struggle to rationalize it until they have to admit their affair.
Others, usually because of a guilty conscience, come out and tell their spouse and if a public figure, come clean with the public. These are the ones that usually seek forgiveness and therefore get some form of respect for their honesty.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Nope. I smell a rat. I think this Ensign guy was gonna get blackmailed and instead of paying out thousands to the blackmailer(s), he chose to come clean instead. Hey! It’s a smart move – saved him a bundle.
TDro319 Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Oh boy! Didn’t I call THIS:
“An influential Republican senator went public Tuesday about an extramarital affair he had with a member of his campaign staff — a decision that FOX News sources say was prompted by a blackmail threat.”
June 17th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Am I the only one who could care less who sleeps with who in Washington? Approx. 50% of the population has cheated, why would our elected officials be any different. They should stay out of my personal life and us out of theirs.
steve Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
PLACEFIELD
Very well stated.
inaisle8 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I think we tend to hold our leaders to a higher moral standard than other professions.
Those who choose to live a very public life have to suffer the consequences of making what seem to some as bad choices.
Those who lie and cheat indicate a type of character that they actually are. It isn’t so much the sexual act committed but it’s the deception to others that usually goes along with the word cheat.
Lying almost always creates disbelief and/or sadness in that individual and removes some of the trusted aspects of their character.
steve Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
inaisle8
Very well stated.
Kregg Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Aisle8 said: Those who choose to live a very public life have to suffer the consequences of making what seem to some as bad choices.
K: Then you would agree with the treatment of President Clinton when he made some – uh – bad choices?
inaisle8 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Kregg, I would agree that the majority of the public’s perception of the individual has everything to do with the perceived severity of the infraction and the final outcome.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
It’s not the cheating we care about. Actually, this is rather funny. It’s the hypocracy. We don’t like the “do as I say, not as I do” mantra. It’s okay for your dad to say that. Not politicians.
Kregg Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
TD said: It’s the hypocracy. We don’t like the “do as I say, not as I do” mantra.
K: And I would fully agree. What I find interesting is that you guys have ‘do as I say – not as I do’ characters all over the place but you seem to excuse them while holding Con’s to a different standard.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
K: “And I would fully agree. What I find interesting is that you guys have ‘do as I say – not as I do’ characters all over the place but you seem to excuse them while holding Con’s to a different standard.”
TD: Agreed. But if you want to find people like you whining about “the different standards the democracts hold”, you’ll have to visit a right wing site. You won’t be disappointed.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:54 am
was it hyporcritical of Clinton to not commute the sentences of everybody in jail for perjury?
TDro319 Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
“was it hyporcritical of Clinton to not commute the sentences of everybody in jail for perjury?”
Did Clinton accuse everybody else of being a liar while he himself lied?
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
June 19th, 2009 at 2:57 am
apparently he has no problem with people lying under oath, thereby letting people rot in jail for lying under oath is a highly hypocritical act.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:58 am
He should resign from the senate.
Daddio Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Why?
pierre Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
He betrayed the so-called christian family value.
TDro319 Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
He alzo called for the resignations of Clinton and Larry Craig because of their “sexual indescretions”. It stands to reason that, if that’s why he thinks someone shold resign, he should practice what he preaches.
pierre Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 9:23 am
And that guy had more than one affair.
Will O’Reilly- the one looking out for you -investigate?
June 17th, 2009 at 4:37 pm