Boys, boys, boys. It's not enough that you sought out prostitutes -- albeit legal in the "tolerance zones" of Colombia -- but now investigators are checking to see if drugs are involved?
Trying not to sound like your mother here (or God forbid, your wife), but what were you thinking? I had the same head-shaking moment when four years ago, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, who had crusaded against a "sophisticated prostitution ring" as attorney general, had no problem patronizing one.
Leaving morality aside, you argued over paying her to service two of you for one price? Offered another woman at the Hotel Caribe 30 bucks, and finally settling for $225? Not exactly magnanimous, but then again, it's apparent no one was thinking very clearly. Representing the United States or defending the president wasn't on your mind. No reason that earning fair pay for a day's work should have been either.
Isn't the reason the U.S. bans prostitution is because buying sex demeans and exploits women? Oddly, one could make the argument that legalizing it -- at least from the woman's point of view, in this case -- was a good idea. From yours, not so much.
The repercussions for leading with your -- uh, um -- for not leading with your brain, will be great. The Secret Service has started to clean house: Out of 11 agents placed on administrative leave, three are gone. One was allowed to retire, one resigned and one fired with cause on Wednesday.
Ron Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect, who broke the story, says these exploits are not an aberration in the agency's culture. He chronicles how the agency fails to insist on official annual physical fitness exams or firearms testing, and allows agents to fill out their own forms. In what may be the understatement of the year, he told CNN's Erin Burnett, "There is dishonesty going on."
Senate hearings on the scandal are scheduled. Seems someone has some explaining to do, starting at the top.
Crossposted at: www.daily-download.com