Ensign to Acknowledge Extramarital Affair

Wash Post ^ | June 16, 2009 | Chris Cillizza and Paul Kane

[Hawk720]

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) has acknowledged an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer in a statement released by his office. "I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions," said Ensign. He is expected to announce the affair at a press conference at 6:30 pm tonight. The affair, which was with a woman who worked for both Ensign's re-election campaign and his Battle Born leadership political action committee, began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008. Ensign's wife, Darlene, said that the couple's "marriage has become stronger" and added: "I love my husband."

[j0hng4lt69]

i think this guys in the wrong party Lol...

[Perdogg]

You mean what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas? ;)

[5thGenTexan]

One by one, the '12 Republican hopefuls fall. But we will still be told that we need anyone but Sarah Palin...

[svcw]

Why does there have to be a press conference. Good grief, its nobody's business but his wife's.

[dfwgator]

Ensign's wife, Darlene, said that the couple's "marriage has become stronger" and added: "I love my husband."

I'm sure that's exactly what her divorce lawyer told her to say.

[muawiyah]

No, no, he’s heterosexual. If this’d been a gay thing he would have been in the wrong party.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

The total collapse of the GOP continues...

[Snickering Hound]

It’s always a great idea to have the humiliated wife forced to continue supporting her husband.

Just ask Eliot Spitzer.

[Natural Law]

So much for the GOP securing the moral high ground.

[adaven]

Awe man!

Ensign is my rep. I volunteered for his campaign, sorry to hear about this.

[Two Kids' Dad]

And all the lefties will rush right out and scream about how it’s a private matter, right??? Oh wait, Ensign’s a Republican. Time for a lynching!

{{{Stupid predictable Lefties!}}}

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Well - the answer to that question is (I am willing to guess) that some GLBT group was going to hold a press conference tomorrow to spill the dirt - and Ensign just took a page from the PR handbook and preempted them. Doesn't make the offense any better, and probably spares him a negligible amount of support that would have been lost if the news waited until tomorrow.

Mike Bowers, long time AG of GA was done in by a long term affair he had with a staffer. But the affair was kept quiet until a GLBT group which was incensed at Bowers for the Bowers v. Hardwick decision (upolding GA's anti-sodomy laws back in the 1980's) - decided to short circuit his campaign for Governor with such a disclosure. He beat them to the punch by hours, but it gained him nothing.

[Perdogg]

In all honesty people don't care unless some one is a hypocrite or the economy is doing bad. Caligula could have been President in the 90s.

[TomGuy]

It’s always a great idea to have the humiliated wife forced to continue supporting her husband.

Just ask Eliot Spitzer.

IIRC, Vitter trotted out his wife at a news presser too, during his admission of wrong doing. And Edwards. And Craig. And the list goes on and on.

They get elected and seem to contract a form of downzipperitis.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Bill Clinton is like Caligula in many ways.

[novemberslady]

Because one of the former staffers (the husband?) was attempting to blackmail him.

[penelopesire]

Don’t you just love how the Post had to act like he was some ‘rising star’ in our party...lol!

Thanks alot Rep. Ensign! We really needed this right now you big JERK!!

[KeatsforFirstDog]

Why can’t we just do away with the whole “D”, “R”, “L,” etc labels? Seems to me like the labels are only for lazy folks who don’t actually know their candidates.

If you don’t know who you’re voting for, seems to me, you have little to no business voting.

If that means you only vote for President once every 4, 8, or 12 years, so be it. But at least you know who you’re voting for...

[nevergore]

If the man had any honor he would resign.....

Men fail and are not perfect, it is how you respond to your mistakes that define your character.

He failed and betrayed his wife, one of the most sacred oaths he made.

If he failed the person who trusted and loved the most, what makes him think (or us) that he still has our trust.

Again, he should resign, re-evaluate his past decisions and life and never take an office of public trust.