To bad you don't realize that we still live in an honor/shame society where even atheists expect honesty from their elected and potential office holders. To bad you haven't figured out that its not about sex, it's all about integrity, ethics, and honesty. America should always expect to get what they pay for in honest political figures. After all, we're paying their salaries, providing their retirement benefits, allowing them two or three weeks of vacation, plus the best medical and compensation plans available. If they can't honor that, then they should be shamed out of politics. Fire their asses and hire competent people who are willing to put forth the effort to maintain a decent standard.

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Too bad you can't comprehend that protecting your private life and your family is not dishonest and has nothing to do with competency in public service.

Pax!

But I'm not running for PUBLIC office. Tooooo bad you haven't realized that even your phone conversations are no longer protected, thanks to that little SOB in the White House. Come to think of it, your internet play time is no longer private. And do remember, that everything you say - can and will be used against you should you become "suspect". Dubya has even conspired with his "intelligence" partners to know the color of your underwear should you wear any. Where you shop, how much you pay for whatever, where you dine, everything about you just pops up somewhere. And needless to say that whatever contraceptive you choose is recorded and monitored for the patriot act.

I bet you never thought that your fellow Americans would become your enemies without even knowing it, did you? Ah well, people never read the plot of Hitler anyway.

Here is Edwards on Clinton on Feb. 12, 1999:

I think this President has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.

Later, Edwards debated whether Clinton intended to obstruct justice when he talked with a White House employee:

We have a man who has just been confronted with this problem, who is political by nature. And do we really believe that the first thing he thought about is, "I'm going to go protect myself legally'"? I suspect the first thing he thought about is "I'm going to protect myself politically.'' He was worried about his family finding out. He was worried about the rest of the staff finding out. He was worried about the press finding out.

And MessengerBoy says...

Saint Mother Maria watch over us please
As we wander around in this dangerous world

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Makes no difference if you're running for public office, or holding a public office.......adultery is a part of your personal life and is off-limits to the press and others.

Making it anything other than personal means you will eliminate many good people from ever holding public service, it's as simple as that.

It you're stupid, enough to want that, there's nothing anybody can do about it.

Pax!

Assuming that Logos is correct, what is the standard for separating a politician's public life from his or her private life? Who gets to make that call and why?

American politics is a funny thing these days. It is big time show biz!

You can’t get the $400 hair cuts, parade out your wife, who was chosen in the first place for her education background, wealth and connections and her support of key causes, polish up your kids and march them on the platform – all as part of your public relations family package and then turn around and tell the public that you have a private life. No, under the current American system you have sold your family to the world – and if they are half decent looking at all they will be treated like movie stars.

I know more about the American presidential hopeful’s family lives than I do about my own Canadian Prime Minister’s wife and kids.

Sure the French leaders had mistresses because their wives too were in the background, and the public was not emotionally attached to them, I don’t imagine now that the public has made a celebrity of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, there will be blind eyes to hanky panky.

Could a single person stand chance at being President in the land of the free?

It's true, we Americans are hypocrites in holding people who run for office to higher standards than we hold for ourselves. However, I suspect we Americans may not be the only nation in the world with this failing. I think I've read about it happening in Canada, and in other nations as well.

I think C.S. Lewis was onto something when he wrote: "I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn." In other words, selfishness is a failure of human nature, not the nature of a nation.

No, MB, "we" are not all hypocrits. For many Americans live to a higher standard and take seriously their marriages, their lifestyle, and they also consider how their own lives influence the lives of others. Not all Americans are dishonest. And in this regard, everyone is under a microscope. Many Americans lose their jobs, families, standing in their communities for being found dishonest in adultery. Why then should political figures be put on a "do-not-touch" pedestal and tolerated under some imaginative privacy code? I for one, want honesty from my family, friends, associates and political leaders. I expect it as the highest of ethics in acceptable behavior. To lower the scale would mean for me to invite dishonesty and the consequences of that dishonesty to affect me personally. I would have no reason to protest such dishonest behavior but excuse it's detrimental effects. These effects caused by the Edwards that have harmed the Democratic party can be seen in the wasted funds stolen from donors and given to Hunter as coverup to keep her quiet. These funds were allocated for political purpose, not for Edwards to have a trisk with his girlfriend.

Then there is the matter of deceit from both Edwards and his wife Elizabeth. These are supposedly Christian people, raising their children as bible-believers. Spinning their religion when need be. Putting on a front in their hypocrisy. And even when caught lying and cheating the public, they prop themselves up on their crutch of God in his forgiveness of them. Having grown accustomed to this forgiveness, as it has become nothing more than an excuse when caught in dishonesty, people buy it because they expect no higher standard. Poor Logos is but one example of a settler for the lesser standard.

Roselyn, just for the record, when I said "we" I was referring to America - and all people - as a group, not as individuals. Don't misunderstand, my dear.