Editor's Letter
Thomas Jefferson may have impregnated one of his slaves. Warren Harding had liaisons with his mistress in an Oval Office closet. FDR’s mistress—one of two during his marriage—was with him when he died.
Thomas Jefferson may have impregnated one of his slaves. Warren Harding had liaisons with his mistress in an Oval Office closet. FDR’s mistress—one of two during his marriage—was with him when he died. The sexually insatiable JFK sneaked hookers into the White House pool. Lady Bird caught LBJ on top of a secretary on an Oval Office couch. We know all this now, but at the time of these escapades, the public was in the dark. Respectable newspapers considered that kind of snooping out of bounds. So, in retrospect, we must now ask: Were all these presidents unfit to serve? Or do we have it wrong now, when every few months, a governor, congressman, senator, or presidential candidate slinks off in disgrace, after begging to be forgiven for extramarital hanky-panky? (See Talking points.)
The question, it would appear, is now moot. The new, zero-tolerance rules of sexual “gotcha” were established during Bill Clinton’s presidency, when Ken Starr interrogated that Arkansas hound dog about his dalliance with an intern, and Congress impeached him for lying about it. Since then, any extramarital sexual activity has been fair game, and you could fill the National Mall with the legion of exposed “hypocrites”: closeted conservatives, “family values” stalwarts with secret second families, and populist crusaders like John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer, who thought their righteousness surely excused a little nooky on the side. If mainstream newspapers still sometimes shrink from exposing these private sins, no matter: Bloggers will now make sure they reach a national audience. So let the word go forth from this time and place: If you want to serve the American public, buddy, you’d better keep it in your pants.
William Falk
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The most notable October surprises
In the Spotlight Late breaking news in October has the power to rock presidential races
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nasa mission to probe possibility of life on Europa
Speed Read Exploration of Jupiter's icy moon could reveal how common habitable environments are in the universe
By The Week UK Published
-
'Extreme heat stunts development'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Editor's letter
feature
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Are college athletes employees?
feature The National Labor Relations Board's decision deeming scholarship players “employees” of Northwestern University has many worrying that college sports itself will soon be history.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter
feature
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: When a bot takes your job
feature Now that computers can write news stories, drive cars, and play chess, we’re all in trouble.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Electronic cocoons
feature Smartphones have their upside, but city streets are now full of people walking with their heads down.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: The real cause of income inequality
feature When management and stockholders pocket all the profits, the middle class falls further behind.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: The real reason you’re so forgetful
feature When you consider how much junk we’ve stored in our brains, it’s no surprise we can’t remember our PINs.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Editor's letter: Ostentatious politicians
feature The McDonnells’ indictment for corruption speaks volumes about the company elected officials now keep.
By The Week Staff Last updated