THE THIN LINE BETWEEN POLITICS AND PERSONAL LIFE

Last week I wrote a blog about the up and coming John Ensign, a U.S. Senator from the state of Nevada. Ensign is currently in his second term as a senator after serving in the House of Representatives. Recent actions and speeches have hinted that Ensign has been contemplating a presidential run in 2012, though he had not released an official statement on the matter. It seemed like the ball was beginning to roll for Senator Ensign's political future, but then today, things got a little more complicated.

In a statement to the AP, John Ensign admitted to being involved in an affair last year. According to Senator Ensign, the incident was kept within the family, but speculators have insinuated that the senator was forced to go public after being blackmailed on the issue. Regardless of the specifics within the affair, my purpose is not to write another article on the matter. What really matters is, where do we go from here?

The most important issue in these cases is how does the individual react and take responsibility for their own actions. Senator Ensign came forward and admitted his faults to the press and then went on to issue a televised statement on the issue. He said:

"Last year I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life. If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it."

There is no doubt that the Senator will take flak for this incident long into the future, but judging by the content of character it took to react how he did, Should Ensign's political career be over? Absolutely not. Yes it was an act of bad judgment, but the truth of the matter is, this was a personal matter that Ensign chose to be nothing but honest about. We can look into the past for political scandals and see how very prominent politicians have responded to their own scandals. Need I remind you of this such incident...

Bill Clinton's vague testimony on the CSPAN Network

There is a clear difference between how Senator John Ensign handled the situation, versus how he could have gone about it. Under Clinton's presidency, the American people were repeatedly lied to and conned by the president himself while trying to cover up his own shame. This is not the case with Mr. Ensign. Because of his honesty towards his family and the state of Nevada, Senator Ensign should not be portrayed in the negative manor that politicians in the past have been when trying to run away from the truth.

This is undoubtedly an embarrassing mistake, but the character shown in response to the incident has kept me behind Senator Ensign. As of now, I also hold strong to my support for Ensign to make a run for the Presidency in 2012. As for now, I extend my thoughts and prayers to the Ensign family and hope for nothing but the best for them, the Senate, and the state of Nevada.