[gleeaikin]

As the article points out, whatever financial things were going on, there is clear evidence of sex, whether forced or consensual, which in Strauss’ position was stupid and immoral even if not illegal. He will pay the Weiner penalty no matter the legal outcome.

[lacrew]

“He will pay the Weiner penalty no matter the legal outcome”.

French politicians get alot more wiggle room in the pervert/infidelity department than most.

[definitelynotaliberal]

If it was consensual or a business transaction, why should he pay any penalty? His own wife has said that as a public figure, it is his duty to seduce. She has no problem with his infidelity. The French are like that. Yves Montand's wife, Simone Signoret, remarked of her husband's affair with Monroe that if MM was in love with her husband, that proved that she had good taste as she herself was in love with him, too. Mark Twain correctly noted that France has neither winter nor summer nor morals--apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. They're different than us. He should have to pay no penalty. And we should have to pay very much less into the fund. As it stands now, our Dep't. of Defense budget is smaller than what we give the IMF. That is the sticking point for me. If we gave it much less money, I wouldn't care which French/European jackass ran it.