Does John Ensign Think David Vitter Should Resign?

{First, a cheap plug for my blog Senate Guru.}

Y'all remember John Ensign, right? He's the Republican U.S. Senator from Nevada who recently announced that he cheated on his wife with an aide. But he's not resigning - despite the fact that he called on President Clinton to resign for his marital infidelity. Why the different standard?

Nevada U.S. Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was different from former President Bill Clinton's affair in the White House because Clinton committed a felony when he lied about it to a grand jury.

"I haven't done anything legally wrong," the Nevada Republican said.

"President Clinton stood right before the American people and he lied to the American people," Ensign said. "You remember that famous day he lied to the American people, plus the fact I thought he committed perjury. That's why I voted for the articles of impeachment."

John Ensign is arguing that President Clinton should have resigned because his marital infidelity broke the law, while Ensign's own infidelity didn't (which is arguable if you follow the $96,000 in hush money that the Ensign family sent to the family of his mistress).

Well, what about Hookerlover David Vitter's infidelity? What about his Very Serious Sin? If Republican Senator John Ensign's standard for resignation is whether or not one's marital infidelity is also "legally wrong," then wouldn't soliciting prostitutes qualify, as Republican David Vitter's, um, personal life included?

In short, according to his own explicit standard, Republican Senator John Ensign must think that Republican Senator David Vitter should resign.

Comments

[MikeLicht]

John Ensign is a man of integrity. Everybody on C Street says so.


See:


http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/john-ensign-man-of-integrity/