Mark Souder: Affair Makes Me 'Wonder Whether Life's Worth Living,' But 'I'm Not A Suicidal Guy'

In an interview with the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, former Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) said that the fallout from his sexual affair with a married member of his congressional staff has led him to "wonder whether life's worth living," but added that he's not "a suicidal guy."

The Gazette reports on how the longtime Republican "family values" congressman viewed his own infidelity:

"When you're a public figure and get crushed, you wonder whether life's worth living," he said, recalling a conversation he had with former congressman and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford shortly after Sanford's affair came to light.

"We talked about can there be another life after you get destroyed. If you're not careful, you can get really depressed. I'm not a suicidal guy for religious reasons, but I can understand how you can get really distressed. You wrecked everything."

Souder also told the Gazette that the surfacing of a pro-abstinence video he made with his mistress may actually be a silver lining in the larger controversy surrounding his sexual indiscretions.

"If some people see this abstinence video, I'm living proof of what we're saying in it. If they actually listen to the words, maybe it's worth it.

"Just because a Christian says something and fails does not mean their words are wrong. If you took that principle, you should never advocate something where you're doing less than you think you should be doing. But it hurts the cause."

Souder officially resigned from his congressional post last week after serving Indiana's third district for eight terms.