Ten Political Sex Scandals

The political sex scandal is with us again. As John Edwards admits to an affair with Rielle Hunter, Comment Central takes a walk down resignation road.

Who got away with it? And who didn't?

Five politicians who got caught:

The Profumo Affair

Spies, showgirls and intrigue by the swimming pool. The 1963 Profumo Affair was the stuff headlines are made of. John Profumo was Secretary  of State for War when he began an affair with Christine Keeler. Unfortunately for him, she was also seeing a Russian spy at the time. Lying in the House of Commons didn't help his cause. He resigned. Many think he took Harold Macmillan's government with him.

Gary Hart:

In retrospect, Gary Hart probably regrets his challenge to the press corps during his 1988 presidential bid.

Follow me around. I don't care. I'm serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They'll be very bored

In fact, the press (and public) found Hart's liason with 29-year-old model Donna Rice quite fascinating. The fact that it took place on the unfortunately named Monkey Business yacht only fuelled the fire. Hart was forced to drop out of the race.

Bill Clinton:

One of the most famous presidential philanderers, Bill Clinton managed to weather allegations from Paula Jones and Gennifer Flowers. But he wasn't so lucky when it came to a 22-year-old intern. When it emerged that Clinton had in fact had "sexual relations" with Monica Lewinsky, his presidency lost much of its lustre. Ten years on, Elizabeth Edwards might find an unlikely ally in Hillary.

Lord Lambton

Ah, the tell-tale photograph. Anthony Lambton suffered a more extreme version of Edwards's fate when he was snapped in bed with two prostitutes in 1973. The Conservative Under-Secretary of State was given pride of place in The News of the World. Public outrage was not calmed by Lambton's assertion that he never took his red box along to assignations. His resignation followed shortly.

Eliot Spitzer:

The Governor of New York rose to power rooting out corportate corruption across Manhattan. The cheers of chastised bankers echoed around Wall Street this year when it emerged that he'd spent more than $80,000 on high-class prostitutes. His assignation with the 23-year-old Ashley Alexandra Dupre at the Mayflower Hotel (favourite romantic haunt of JFK) was wire-tapped. Spitzer has resigned.

...And five who got away with it

Francois Mitterrand:

Some might think that 14 years as President of France would provide complications enough. But Mitterrand added to the excitement by juggling two families. And although French journalists steered well clear of his long-term affair with Anne Pingeot, they couldn't ignore her presence, with their daughter, at his funeral. The French retained their sang-froid. If anything, the relationship bolstered Mitterrand's reputation.

 John F. Kennedy:

When it comes to glamorous affairs, JFK far outshone Bill Clinton and John Edwards. And yet no sex scandal ever really tainted his reputation. The charisma of the youngest President to occupy the White House lured air hostesses, models and Marilyn Monroe. But when we conjure up Camelot, it's the gilded John and Jackie who remain firmly in our minds.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

Eleanor and FDR were the power couple of the early twentieth century. But few knew about the third woman in their relationship. FDR's affair with Lucy Mercer, Eleanor's secretary, began in 1914 and divorce talk was in the offing four years later. Anxious advisors ensured that Lucy vanished from the scene but she reappeared in 1941 and it was her, not Eleanor, who sat at FDR's deathbed.

Lord Boothby:

This Tory politician sailed through scandal. He weathered accusations of an affair with Ronald Kray and numerous flings with married women. Most audaciously of all, he cuckolded his own Prime Minister, probably fathering Harold Macmillan's fourth child. Despite these excitements, he managed to make PPS to Churchill, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food and the House of Lords in 1958.

John Major

He spent years battling sleaze as Prime Minister. So Whitehall was shocked when Edwina Currie revealed that she had had an affair with Major from 1984-1988. While we reeled from revelations about his blue underpants and their shared baths, Major admitted that his wife had known for years.

Comments

[Glen]

Interesting that all of the American pols listed are Democrats.

[Jean-Lustine d'Hadamard]

As long as nobody's being abused, and said servant's ability to do the job is unaffected, what's with all the fuss?

Does one have to be a politician to be involved in a sex scandal (not being one myself)? They're still only human beings. Well, just about.

[danny]

That's because we are discussing heterosexual affairs involving consenting adults.

[sackcloth and ashes]

'Interesting that all of the American pols listed are Democrats'.

Surprised to see no mention President Warren Harding (hetero, one that got away with it) and Representative Mark Foley (homosexual, one who didn't).

[Jim]

You forgot John McCain. He seems to be doing OK even though he cheated on his wife relentlessly after she was injured in a car accident.
Of course, this may have been before he ran for office.

[Eric]

Yeah, very interesting. The republicans just make sure they do it before they get elected into public office. See John McCain's affair when he cheated on his newly-disabled ex-wife. That's why you don't hear him talk about the 'family values' bullshit republicans normally profess in their sermons.

[swissmiss150]

"All of the American pols listed are Democrats."

Yeh, the Republicans have same sex partners (only semi-joking).

[Evancy]

Why talking to much about it? What all the fuss about?Who does not love sex? Just look all these beautful ladies! Nevertheless,Politicians or not, we are all the men and we love that little fruit. Leave the guys alone.

[sweetalkinguy]

Is it any surprise? Henry Kissinger said that power is the greatest aphrodisiac. Politics may be showbiz for ugly people, but to be successful as a politician you need a talent to get your own way by manipulating people. After all, having people throwing themselves into your bed is only one step further on than having them vote for you.

[Vhris]

Sex being the powerful business it is, the problem is that those in high office with vital knowledge of facts and information can give it all away in a moment of bliss, thus jeopardising state secrets, etc. Your life and mine might be changed by such "weakness" at some point to a disturbing degree, and this is why we like our politicians to be "squeaky-clean".

[Harold]

In the states democrats are always caught with women while republicans are always caught with underage boys.
whatever turns them on.

[Vidya Maharaj]

Everyobody needs somebody

[Rainman]

It's a question of judgment. If he was a private citizen, having an affair wouldn't be the public's business. But Edwards was running for a president, an undertaking that invites an astounding amount of scrutiny. Also, his wife had survived a highly publicized bout with cancer, and Edwards had talked long and often about his family. So for him to start an affair with a flaky former club girl turned video documentarian was reckless and stupid. His conduct once it was revealed has done nothing to improve his image.

[sketch]

...it was HER who sat at Rooseveldt's deathbed.-I may have prefered that SHE sat there

[Richard Wilkinson]

They may be charismatic and talented leaders, but only a foolish citizen would trust public servants who cheat on loved ones! Ingoring the inevitable emotional and psychological victimization to family is a sign of selfishness, irresponsibility, and poor judgment.

[Tony JW]

Nice to see that American Democratss and British Conservatives are heterosexual!
I guess Lord Boothby was an Independant.

[Nyal Williams]

Democrats' scandals are usually sex;
Republican's scandals are usually money. Lust or greed; that's why we change sides every so often.

[JK]

Not mentioned in this article were the affairs of:

1. GHW Bush(prez 41) who had an 18 year affair which continued through vice-presidency and presidency. Wife Barbara referred to it in a book saying that she knew something was up when he didn't notice she had stopped dyeing her hair.

2. John McCain is a life-long philanderer and was briefly a bigamist having obtained a marriage license with his current wife prior to divorcing his first wife. He, I believe, admitted to having multiple affairs prior to meeting wife Cindy (current). Even turning 70 yrs old has not stopped him; he engaged in a transparent affair for several months just last year with a blond blue-eyed lobbyist who traveled with him on personal flights on corporate jets to resorts.

3.Dwight Eisenhower who had an affair lasting many years including during his time as Supreme Allied Commander.

The difference between the sexual affairs of Republicans and Democrats is big money media’s pernicious merciless coverage of the democrats. Republicans only get significant coverage when they commit sexual crimes but (with the exception of Larry Craig) there is still minimal coverage compared to Democrats consensual acts between consenting adults.

Peace, JK

[Virginia Harris]

This was a year when 7 out of 10 candidates had a known history of cheating on their spouses.

The voters were yawning about it.

But a love child is a whole different kettle of fish!

Betcha don't know which president had a love child while running for office, and that it actually helped women win the vote.

Most people are totally in the dark about HOW the suffragettes won.

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Two beautiful and extremely powerful suffragettes -- Alice Paul and Emmeline Pankhurst are featured, along with Edith Wharton, Isadora Duncan, Alice Roosevelt and two gorgeous presidential mistresses.

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[ian payne]

Currie & Major = YUK !!!!

[Karen]

John McCain--Republican--cheated on his first wife with the rodeo queen. So far, he's gotten away with it.

[JOHN CHUCKMAN, TORONTO]

My goodness, this list is terribly incomplete. Is this intended?

What about Dwight Eisenhower? He got away with it. (He actually wanted to divorce Mami.)

So did Richard Nixon.

And Lyndon Johnson.

Jack Kennedy.

And in today's presidential contest, there's John McCain who so far has got away with a shabby record.

Take a look at this, something which has received relatively little attention in the press:

http://www.skeeterbitesreport.com/2008/08/media-go-wild-over-edwards-infidelities.html

You may also want to see this, again something having received little attention in the press:

http://www.commondreams.org/views/021400-102.htm

[donquijoterocket]

It might be interesting to the commenter above to note that all the named politicians were Democrats.I'd say at least the liaisons were heterosexual, no pages, no wide stances in airport men's rooms. Were the list expanded to include financial-based scandals we'd soon find that Republicans are much more interested in money than in sex, and that might explain why we find ourselves in our current mess.

[ann]

It is not the fact he (Edwards) had an affair. Rather that he lied to the electorate. (After pontificating on about morals). How can the public trust those that go into public office lying through their teeth. (What else has he lied about?

[Tom]

Lloyd George, Baptist Welsh Prime Minister for years, got away with it for years with PA Frances Stevenson whose job came with the Welsh Goat's sexual terms and conditions laid down. See her diaries and AJ Sylvester's. Surely his is the greatest political life of mass philandering: he even had his own daughter in law, Roberta.

[JK]

Here's more,

I should have included these two in my list above:

4.Ronald Reagan’s affair with Nancy Davis (Reagan) before divorcing wife Jane Wyman at the same time he criminally sold out those in his union (screen actors guild) over residuals and was forever after a kept man by big money (studio’s, GE, etc).

5. Current President Bush (43) who was accused of rape in Texas prior to being governor and had to be sued for the rape (which apparently caused a pregnancy) when the police and prosecutors took no action. The victim died in her twenties from a gunshot wound to the head.
Records of this, like all of his crimes and follies are difficult to come by but some photocopies of records have been published.
Peace JK

[JK]

Tony JW,

It is the disparate treatment in the media that has led to the common misperception that you expressed when you said: "Democrats' scandals are usually sex; Republican's scandals are usually money. Lust or greed;"

In reality, there are far more Republican sex scandals (by several orders of magnitude) than Democratic sex scandals. It is also true that the number of money and government office related crimes and corruption scandals by the Republicans is far greater.

This reality is almost certainly why the republicans have spent 100's of millions of dollars digging into the personal lives of Democrats. To them, it's just business; a statistically attractive way to eliminate Democratic politicians even though they are far less corrupt.

With just a brief period of investigation Larry Flynt demonstrated how common unreported Republican sex scandals were. He was offended by the BS hypocrisy by the Republicans during Bill Clinton’s impeachment for having received oral sex (not considered "sexual relations" under the law in almost all states). He provided unequivocal and well documented proof (photo-copies of court documents, etc.) that virtually all of the Republican leaders that stood up to denounce Clinton were having affairs. Particularly offensive was Newt Gingrich who was having an affair with an intern when he went took a legal pad his wife’s hospital room following her cancer surgery to tell her he was divorcing her and to demand that they agree on terms right then and there.

Republicans probably won’t need to spend as much money on their black bag jobs because now, through their total domestic surveillance program, they get to have the American taxpayer pay for it.

[nazirmo]

What would happen if it is revealed that Obama had an affair ? Or that Hillary has had a lesbian affair ?

[Linda]

"Betcha don't know which president had a love child while running for office, and that it actually helped women win the vote."
Do too, Virginia:
Ma Ma where's my pa
Gone to the White House ha ha ha
was his supporters' slogan

[EFG]

Any man who could break faith with his wife can be open to breaking faith with his country for the right price. Peccadillos prove a selfish nature, not the servant nature required of public office. You were warned.

[Merseymike]

Isn't it pretty well established that Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian?

[m wilson.]

Keeler must have been a fantastic girl, I wasn't around at the time, but i wish .

[Juvenal]

Glen (11th August, 16.50)the usual logic is simply that if a person will not keep his or her word to their spouse, they cannot be trusted to be honest with the country and therefore lack the moral integrity needed for high office.

The rather more cynical logic is that if a person will not keep their word to their spouse and is clumsy (or stupid) enough to be caught doing so, then they lack both the moral integrity and the ability to lie convincingly needed for high office...

[David Aust]

The reason we all vote for these people is...what?

[Ian Thorpe]

I don't think it is fair to include Francoise Mitterand in the list. Everyone knew about his affair, nobody cared.
If only the English speaking nations had the French attitude to politicians extra marital dilly-dallying.

[US Observer]

Thought this was interesting...a preacher who says to give Edwards grace...http://revdonstewart.blogspot.com/

That's unusual.

[Terry Owings]

Dwight Eisenhower did not have an affair with Kay Summersby. She would like to have had an affair with him, they had a close working relationship but it was never sexual.

[rita]

Cindy McCain's affair with John when she was 25 and he was a 43 year old with a crippled wife (he says they were separated, his wife says he was having a midlife crisis)is seldom mentioned, nor is Cindy's illegal drug use and destruction of the employee who discovered it.

[JK]

It is unquestionable that all, or almost all, of the best U.S. presidents had affairs.

Maybe it should be a requirement for office. That would make a lot more sense than the argument that an intimate affair means they might betray their office or the country.

Anyone who has paid attention to history and current events knows it is an issue first raised and pounded by those who candidates are corrupt and have had a much worse track record with betrayal (sexual and otherwise) including betraying their country by destroying the Constitution, eliminating democracy by rigging elections and throwing millions of legitimate voters off the rolls, etc.

Peace, JK

[Sudha]

Politicians should have their middle name "sleaze".. Why do so many of them cheat? (on taxes, on their wives and on their campaign contributions).. While power may be an aphrodisiac, there is the arrogance that one can get away with it all!! Consign all politicians to the ashes....

[Balwant Munglani]

I think we give too much importance to sexual indescritions of others. The less we dwell on it the better. What consenting adults do in privacy whether outside or inside their relationship ouoght to be left alone.

Problem arises what will take in its place? Hard to swallow for the the media!!!

[David T]

Ahh, scandal! There's also former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller (Republican), who died of a heart attack while (it is rumoured) having an affair in the Mayflower Hotel in NY.

[STEVE]

So many people flaunting "consenting adults", right...

The worst problem with that phrase usually is that men tend to be weak to the point that consent is usually automatic. Many encounters only depend on whether or not the woman consents.

We desperately need men with real strength of character in this world. In and out of politics.
Deny yourself for your integrity, your country, or just for the sake of doing the right thing. Last thing any country needs is a weak president.

[Paul Dale]

Personally, I don't give a damn who the politicians sleep with so long as I am not married to her. Since I am not currently married, the field is clear. Just so long as they can do their jobs.

[Rich]

Linda: you screwed up the slogan!
The Republicans yelled at Grover Cleveland, who admitted to fathering a child long before he was married:
Ma, Ma, where's my pa?
The Democrats yelled back:
Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!

The Democrats also said of Blaine, Cleveland's Republican opponent:
Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine!

[Lakshman Dalpadado]

Mammalian males are polygamous by nature. In almost all mammalian societies the female to male ratio is usually about 20:1, as exemplified by our closest cousins, the primates. War, murder, rapes and killings are because of the imbalance leading to current excess of males and a male to female ratio of nearly one. Marriage is the most un-natural institution in human society affecting all aspects of human behavior. Men will continue to ' Cheat' as long as the society expects them to be monogamous.

[Helen]

John major, i can't imagine anyone with less sex appeal! Edwina is fiesty, its apparent, but he is so unsexy, I cant imagine him having sex period, let alone infidelity with someone in the party.
Strange!

Seriously, if the risk of politicians gabbing in bed is why we care about affairs so much, why don't we just go ahead and set up the Department of Hookers, for use by the Presidency. Girls could be tested for disease AND screened by the Secret Service all at the same time.

Good god, people, it's just sex.

[Guess Who]

Just as a point of order...JFK was the youngest "Elected" President. The Youngest President was Teddy Roosevelt who became president after the assasination of WIlliam Howard Taft. Teddy was 42 when he became president Kennedy was 43.