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Ensign: I did nothing "legally" wrong

disneydude

disneydude

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APNewsBreak: Ensign: I did nothing 'legally wrong' - Yahoo! News

Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was a mistake but not as bad as former President Bill Clinton's relationship with a White House intern because he didn't lie about it under oath.

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


This guy still just doesn't get it. It reminds me of all those Bush Apologists that always say to put ethics and morality aside "Technically" there was nothing illegal about _____________________ (submit any number of excuses here).
 
Now, wait -- if the Lewinksy affair taught us anything, it's that a politician's personal life personal morals don't matter, and it's all about policy and legality and the definition of "is."

So yeah, you can say "but they say it DOES matter!!" and yadda, yadda, yadda . . .

And everybody gets to point fingers at everyone else.

Me, I think all y'all just like to gossip about boinking.
 
Care to explain exactly what it is that you think he did wrong and how that should be punished?
 
RightinNYC said:
Care to explain exactly what it is that you think he did wrong and how that should be punished?
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Well to some cheating on your spouse is wrong, and the punishment will come at the polls when people don't vote for a guy like that.

Personally I don't really care, because most politicians are not moral anyway in some way or another.
 
Conservatives have to live up to a higher standard than Libbos.
 
apdst said:
Conservatives have to live up to a higher standard than Libbos.
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Their own fault. Lefties don't go around preaching morality, right wingers do.
 
PeteEU said:
Their own fault. Lefties don't go around preaching morality, right wingers do.
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Total crock.

I see as many self righteous preaching lefties now days then ever before. Just look on this forum. Only real difference is when they do something morally wrong and get caught, it is forgotten the next day.
 
Blackdog said:
Total crock.

I see as many self righteous preaching lefties now days then ever before. Just look on this forum. Only real difference is when they do something morally wrong and get caught, it is forgotten the next day.
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So you are saying that the "left" is the party for morality and family? That they go around preaching abstinence, no sex before marriage, no gay marriage as a core policy in their party program? And they attacked Bill Clinton for his blowjob while they themselves hunted under-age pages, got gay sex in airport bathrooms and hired prostitutes? The list goes on.. how about slamming Bill Clinton for adultery and then committing it yourself.. or does it not count if it is done in Argentina? Is that the "left" you are talking about, that preaches all that as core values of their party?

Sorry but the American right is the poster boy for hypocrisy and double standard when it comes to "morality".. they are no better than the rest of us, but they attempt to project an aura that they are snow white and look down on the rest of us that are not and then they get caught in their own hypocrisy when they are caught with their pants down.
 
PeteEU said:
Their own fault. Lefties don't go around preaching morality, right wingers do.
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Just because some on the right don't adhere to that morality, doesn't make the message wrong.

The reason the left doesn't go around preaching morality, is because most of them have none. Life is a free for all to most of them, as their actions and public policies demonstrate.

.
 
RightinNYC said:
Care to explain exactly what it is that you think he did wrong and how that should be punished?
Click to expand...

Hi. My name is John Ensign. I had an affair with a married woman, but because I didn't commit any illegal act, it's not so bad. Screw you all. (I know I did. ;))

He's an asshole, and I hope his constituents vote him out of office.
 
Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was a mistake but not as bad as former President Bill Clinton's relationship with a White House intern because he didn't lie about it under oath.
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I thought right wingers disapproved of moral relativism such as this. I guess not, when it's one of their own who's doing it.
 
aps said:
Hi. My name is John Ensign. I had an affair with a married woman, but because I didn't commit any illegal act, it's not so bad. Screw you all. (I know I did. ;))

He's an asshole, and I hope his constituents vote him out of office.
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I just wanted to add that what it is that pisses me off so much is this "I did something wrong, but someone else did something worse than I did" crap.

He had sex with a married woman and then had his parents attempt to pay her and her husband off. Yeah, he's a real stand-up guy, isn't he? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
 
aps said:
Hi. My name is John Ensign. I had an affair with a married woman, but because I didn't commit any illegal act, it's not so bad. Screw you all. (I know I did. ;))

He's an asshole, and I hope his constituents vote him out of office.
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I hope his constituents vote him out. I'm conflicted on whether he should step down. There are slight differences to this and Clinton.

My issue with Clinton was not the affair, but the fact it was a subordinant. I consider this much like a CEO in a company using his position to sleep with secretary. Its professionally inappropriate and a conflict of interests. If a CEO of a company screws around with a mistress I think that's bad image wise for the company, but I wouldn't be calling for the CEO's resignation. If the CEO was banging away on his secretary during work hours in his office, then I would be.

Similarly, in Clinton's case, it was with a subordinant employee in his position as the President, in his office, during work hours. If he was just banging out Monica, the chick from Starbucks, I'd have been disappointed in our President but not calling out for resignation or investigation.

That bothered me, greatly. He's was getting a blowjob on Tax Payer dime.

I was going to say that was different than Ensign and thus I don't mind him not resigning, since the OP just said it was a friend of his wife. However, it appears it was a campaign staffer. This conflicts things for me a bit. In this case, it is a subordinate to him. However, it is one that is not under him in some form in his capacity as Senator. So that situation gets tricky.

But I guess that is me trying to explain why the Clinton thing is "different" in my eyes than some of the others that have happened. Its partially due to years of being in an organization where those at the top have a good bit of sway and power over those under them, either forcefully or just out of respect, and how important it has been ingrained in us that you do not take advantage of that. I don't care if he's dipping his Slick Willie into a warmer location (Seriously, look and listen to Hillary, its hard to blame him)...I have issues with him doing it in the office of the President with a woman that is his subordinant that is there due to a opening serving on behalf of the American people. I feel the same way if a Republican senator or Governor did it with an employee of the state under them (for example, foley's thing with a page...I have issue with that, because that page is technially a subordinant of him in his capacity as a congressman)
 
Zyphlin said:
My issue with Clinton was not the affair, but the fact it was a subordinant. I consider this much like a CEO in a company using his position to sleep with secretary. Its professionally inappropriate and a conflict of interests. If a CEO of a company screws around with a mistress I think that's bad image wise for the company, but I wouldn't be calling for the CEO's resignation. If the CEO was banging away on his secretary during work hours in his office, then I would be.
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The biggest issue I had with Clinton was that he committed perjury over the matter.

I thought then and I thought now that if Bill Clinton had stood up in front of everyone and said "yes, Ms Lewinsky gave me a blowjob in the Oval Office" rather than saying "I did not have sex with that woman....Ms Lewinsky", the issue would have been off the front page in a matter of days.

Instead he lied under oath and attempted to cover the whole thing up. I don't mind a President with an active and freshly slicked willie. I do mind Presidential perjury.

So far, I have not read where Ensign broke any laws. I'm not certain he even violated any of the Senate ethics' rules, although some of the money transactions between him and his ex mistress do bear scrutiny on that level. There is nothing to suggest that he should resign now or be ousted from the Senate.

Re-election is a matter for folks in his state. I know I wouldn't vote for him.
 
Zyphlin said:
I hope his constituents vote him out. I'm conflicted on whether he should step down. There are slight differences to this and Clinton.

My issue with Clinton was not the affair, but the fact it was a subordinant. I consider this much like a CEO in a company using his position to sleep with secretary. Its professionally inappropriate and a conflict of interests. If a CEO of a company screws around with a mistress I think that's bad image wise for the company, but I wouldn't be calling for the CEO's resignation. If the CEO was banging away on his secretary during work hours in his office, then I would be.

Similarly, in Clinton's case, it was with a subordinant employee in his position as the President, in his office, during work hours. If he was just banging out Monica, the chick from Starbucks, I'd have been disappointed in our President but not calling out for resignation or investigation.

That bothered me, greatly. He's was getting a blowjob on Tax Payer dime.

I was going to say that was different than Ensign and thus I don't mind him not resigning, since the OP just said it was a friend of his wife. However, it appears it was a campaign staffer. This conflicts things for me a bit. In this case, it is a subordinate to him. However, it is one that is not under him in some form in his capacity as Senator. So that situation gets tricky.

But I guess that is me trying to explain why the Clinton thing is "different" in my eyes than some of the others that have happened. Its partially due to years of being in an organization where those at the top have a good bit of sway and power over those under them, either forcefully or just out of respect, and how important it has been ingrained in us that you do not take advantage of that. I don't care if he's dipping his Slick Willie into a warmer location (Seriously, look and listen to Hillary, its hard to blame him)...I have issues with him doing it in the office of the President with a woman that is his subordinant that is there due to a opening serving on behalf of the American people. I feel the same way if a Republican senator or Governor did it with an employee of the state under them (for example, foley's thing with a page...I have issue with that, because that page is technially a subordinant of him in his capacity as a congressman)
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I understand what you're saying. While I think it's normal to compare situation X to situation Y, it tends to show a lack of remorse by the person who committed situation X. He could ahve apologized and moved on. Don't apologize and then say, "But someone else did something worse than I did." Come on. It's like a drunk driver who seriously injures a person and tells the family, "Hey, other drunk drivers have killed their victims."

Unquestionably what Clinton did was illegal (lying under oath).

I don't have any opinion right now on whether he should resign. I don't feel strongly either way.
 
Oh, no, I agree with you. Ensign walked into a pile of dog doo there and decided ot make it better by smearing it all over his hand.

I'm just saying from my own point. Even without the perjury I would've been fine with calling for Clinton's resignation (but not pushing for his impeachment). The perjury is the reason I'm fine wtih the push for impeachment. In this case, I don't quite know if my standard for wanting to call for a politician to resign (if he was even in my state) was met.
 
Zyphlin said:
Oh, no, I agree with you. Ensign walked into a pile of dog doo there and decided ot make it better by smearing it all over his hand.

I'm just saying from my own point. Even without the perjury I would've been fine with calling for Clinton's resignation (but not pushing for his impeachment). The perjury is the reason I'm fine wtih the push for impeachment. In this case, I don't quite know if my standard for wanting to call for a politician to resign (if he was even in my state) was met.
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I understand. I don't find Ensign asking for Clinton's resignation and not resigning to be (1) a problem or (2) hypocritical. I think we can all make judgments on people but can see the situation differently when we are put in a similar situation.
 
PeteEU said:
Their own fault. Lefties don't go around preaching morality, right wingers do.
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Of, course, they DO go around saying things like "we'll have the most ethical [White House, Congress, etc.] in history."
 
Harshaw said:
Of, course, they DO go around saying things like "we'll have the most ethical [White House, Congress, etc.] in history."
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To different things. Nice attempt to derail the thread.
 
true, he didn't. and just as the public in general still has warm fuzzies for clinton, perhaps ensign's constituency will feel the same. after all, he repented, right?

of course, i will argue that lying to your wife is comparable to lying under oath, at least about an affair. not illegal though. and paying off your mistress? well, i suppose some would say ensign is just a generous man........
 
:spin:self imposed standards.
 
of course it's hypocritical. that's the very definition of hypocritical.......seeing things differently when you are in the same situation.

i personally don't care what people do in their private lives, but the clinton era changed the rules.
 
:2razz:

lol! and it used to be such a noble name.
 
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