Sanford should stay, two top South Carolina papers say

Well, well, well. Eliot Spitzer resigned from being Governor of New York over his prostitution scandal - adultery is adultery, whether with a mistress or a prostitute, the violation of marital covenants is something that most would frown upon, our over 50% of adulterous marriages notwithstanding.

I really think that Governor Sanford should follow Spitzer on this one. He broke the law, and for those of their state's residents serving in the service, that is tantamount to "conduct unbecoming an officer." We cannot have double standards for politicians who are sworn to uphold the law, particularly as it relates to members of the military.

Lt. Dan Choi is going to be on trial tomorrow for openly admitting to being gay. The same laws that are forcing him to be truthful about his sexual orientation should be the same laws used to judge the politicians who create the laws.

Sanford left the state, even the country, after spinning a tale of being alone hiking on the Appalachian Trail, when he was in fact in Argentina, with his mistress. What message does that send to his impressionable sons? Men everywhere, in fact?

I am surprised, although not entirely - to see that two of South Carolina's largest dailies are calling for him to remain in office. If he would lie to his wife and staff about his whereabouts in order to cover up an affair, what else would he do or not do?

Here is the link to the story - feedback appreciated: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Sanford's wife: "His career is not a concern of mine."

Finally, one of these powerful political allies/wives is standing up and not standing by her man. I have watched the wives of Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Rudolph Giuliani and countless others stand by their men during press conferences, professing forgiveness and yet appearing humiliated.

Sanford's wife is having none of it: She had a promising career on Wall Street prior to marrying him and professed recently that she and their children will be just fine, his philandering notwithstanding.

I am not telling anyone not to forgive a wayward spouse, I have, after all experienced adultery and forgiveness myself of a fashion - long story - What I am saying is that a woman or man who has been wronged deserves time to lick their wounds and heal from the onslaught of lies, betrayal and the inevitable glare of media cameras in the cases of those mentioned in this story.

Jenny Sanford is a strong woman in her own right - hell, maybe if they impeach him, they should nominate her to fill his time left in office - she has my support.

The case of the purloined kidney

It seems that a physician is having second thoughts over donating a kidney to his spouse. She committed adultery and "humiliated him as a man and as a person."

I too have known the pain and humiliation accompanied with adultery, but that does not mean I wish ill on my former spouse.

Some years ago, a friend was donating her kidney to an ailing family member - this decision sparked such controversy within the family - (they were worried that she might die) - and the family was literally divided down the middle on two sides.

There is much to be said for anonymous organ donation and I think that this story illustrates the wisdom in not knowing where an organ is coming from.

This physician who has been scorned has asked for his wife to return the kidney or pay him the equivalent of replacement cost for the organ - over a million dollars - as if.

This raises serious ethical concerns and the AMA should work swiftly to pass legislation within their powers or certainly guidelines, to ensure that such actions do not take place in the future. We do not allow selling of organs in this country, so how is this physician putting a dollar amount on his kidney and what price list is he using?

Adultery in the light of John Edward's admission of guilt

Statistics indicate that about 60% of men and 40% of women will have an affair at some point in their marriage. Additionally, 45-55% of women and 50-60% of men will commit adultery at some time in their lives.

Why do we expect so much more from our elected officials, even something that we cannot do ourselves? They are not our spiritual advisers - they are not our moral compass - they are simply our peers - elected to lead us because we the people have chosen them to do so.

Was John Edwards wrong? Absolutely! Was his timing positively lousy? Unequivocally! Should we crucify him and hang his entire political career out to dry because of his indiscretions? I think not!

I cannot begin to imagine the tears shed together by he and his wife, Elizabeth as they came to grips to this bombshell and what it could potentially do to their marriage. They obviously worked it out and decided to stay married - what business is it of ours to demand his head?

Leave him alone - we all live in glass houses after all, don't we?

Jackson Sorry for 'Crude' Obama Remarks

So, Reverend (and I use his title regretfully, I admit) Jesse Jackson is "sorry" for the crude remarks made about Presidential nominee, Senator Obama. He is sorry alright - sorry he was caught offguard.

There are conversations that we should, if at all, have in a coffee shop, around friends, and in the privacy of our homes, but Jesse Jackson's years in the spotlight should have elucidated to him that tact and diplomacy are of paramount importance.

In years gone by, Jesse Jackson was a man of whom I thought highly. Unfortunately, when he made the "sorry" mistake of having an adulterous affair and producing an illegitimate child to the tune of some $10,000 a month in child support - he lost his allure.

He criticizes Senator Obama for not speaking out enough on black issues. We all know that our prisons are overcrowded - what is Jesse Jackson doing about this? Is his Rainbow Coalition meeting with the US Conference of Mayors to address the latest news out of Philadelphia. The Mayor there (I don't know what color his skin, nor is that germane to how well he does his job) has worked with business owners to provide tax incentives to those who hire convicted former prisoners.

Jesse Jackson protesteth too loudly - he is sorry his remarks were caught on mic, not sorry that he said them.

On that note - what has senator McCain said on his campaign trail about morality issues?

Who said that this race is not about race?

Let Senator Obama do what he does best - work on issues close to him and the hearts of the American people. This mess did not happen overnight - it will take him a long time to address the social needs of ALL of America.

The #1 quality men want in a wife - someone like their mother

This is according to a study by University of Iowa sociologist Christine Whelan, author of "Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women." Contrast this to "Why men marry bitches" - a bestselling book for women to understand why their nice girl ways don't appeal to the men in their lives.

I have known far too many smart men who have married Barbies and/or bitches. They tend to be adulterers too - the men, that is.

For instance, some years ago, I was just arriving at a party to celebrate the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was walking across the room to greet friends and associates, when I heard a man exclaim, as he looked pointedly at me and held out his arms: "There's the woman I've been looking for all my life." As luck would have it, it was the husband of my then supervisor - talk about awkward. This is the same man who asked me to visit a "gentleman's club" that he represented as an attorney - in order to see that there was nothing really untoward. I don't need to visit a gentleman's club to know that exploitation goes both ways. On both occasions, I wanted to slap the man's face, but what can one do when one's boss is looking on?

I had this discussion about marriage with a dear friend who is going through a divorce. We are both in agreement with the biblical notion that men and women are to be helpmeets to each other. Ideally, they should have parallel lives - whether that be full time career, full time school or even full time motherhood/fatherhood - they should also have interests outside of each other - interests where they don't have to "ask" permission to participate. They then reconnect during the day or as often as needed to touch base and check in.

I have been seeking a helpmeet for over 10 years and have yet to find him. I don't want to be with a man who wants a bitch, nor with a man who wants someone like his mother, unless his mother was an amazing woman - a great mother, worked inside and/or outside the home and is good friends with him.

A woman has to have high standards as she seeks her helpmeet, or she runs the risk of being traded in for the smarter associate, younger Barbie type, or even the nanny.

For those of you reading this post, it is likely abundantly clear why I am still single.