The Chicago Tribune has been awash lately with self-righteous rationalizations for their bringing the suit that led to Jack Ryan's withdrawal from the Senate campaign. Clarence Page, however, gets it.
The Chicago Tribune and WLS-Ch. 7 lawsuit that unsealed Ryan's records cited the public's right to know. I'm a big believer in the public's right to know. But in a case like Ryan's no-sex scandal, I question the public's need to know.
Excuse me, folks, but when candidates don't even have to have sex to be brought down by a sex scandal, we should be asking ourselves whether we are beginning to ratchet the bar up too high for mere mortals who might have an interest in public service.
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Jack Ryan was not charged with something truly serious like assault or adultery, just allegedly attempted kinkiness within the privacy of his ultimately failed marriage, according to the highly heated and questionable testimony in divorce papers. If that's all it takes to knock off an otherwise worthy candidate, we need no longer wonder why more bright, talented and qualified people in this great land of ours would rather have a root canal than run for public office.
I think anybody willing to run for public office in spite of what they know they're in for must be so power-hungry as to be unfit for office. I'll say it again: There's a reason why we get candidates for President like George W. Bush and John Kerry. Come November, we've got to choose between Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Spineless. But hey, at least we know they haven't got any really fascinating sexual kinks. That's what will win the day against Islamist terrorism: Leaders with boring sex lives.
Posted by Mr Green at June 30, 2004 08:59 AM