October 5, 2002 Embattled [Kentucky] Gov. Paul Patton reiterated Friday he has no plans to resign and said leaving office before his term is over would be detrimental to Kentucky....Patton is under investigation by state and federal government agencies for allegations he misused his office to help, and later hurt, the business of a western Kentucky woman with whom he had an affair....when she refused to continue the relationship, Conner said, Patton sicced regulators on her facility, Birchtree Healthcare.
January 18, 1999: Congressman and House Judiciary Committee member, Bob Barr['s] affair became known this past week. Barr, and his second wife, Jeri were in an affair while he was still married to his first wife, Gail. His former wife has stated that Barr paid for her abortion in '83 and never tried to stop her. In his '86 divorce testimony, Barr stated that he never objected.
April 26, 2001: Arnold Schwarzenegger backed out of his plan to run for governor of California after he learned the National Enquirer was planning to print details of an extramarital affair, says The New York Post....Premiere Magazine recently reported incidents of Schwarzenegger allegedly groping women and being caught having sex with another woman on the set of "Eraser," and carrying on an open affair with his "Total Recall" co-star Rachel Ticotin.
May 07, 2004: Former [Oregon] Gov. Neil Goldschmidt admitted Thursday that he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 35 and mayor of Portland, and said he is resigning all his public and private positions to "rebuild my life."
May 15, 2001: Beleaguered by media inquiries about a rumored extramarital affair with a top state official, Gov. Jeb Bush — who is weighing whether to seek re-election in 2002 — took an extraordinary step Monday by publicly denying the rumors and calling them an “outright lie.”
Sept. 30, 2002: Former Conservative minister Edwina Currie's revelation this weekend that she and former Prime Minister John Major had a four-year extramarital affair in the early '80s provided plenty of fodder for the British press. Several papers expressed a grudging new admiration for Major, who was seen for so many years as an extraordinarily bland politician.
September 19, 1998: An offer by Illinois Republican Henry Hyde to resign as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee because of an extramarital affair 30 years ago was rejected by Speaker Newt Gingrich, CNN confirmed Saturday.
July 19, 2001: Senator Trent Lott intoned that every member of the House who has had an extramarital affair ought to resign; Senator Ted Kennedy gamely responded that the House would then be empty, implying that adultery should never justify resignation.
October 17, 2000: A top official and radio announcer for Focus on the Family said he has resigned from the conservative Christian group because he had an extramarital affair.
October 1998:Results of opinion polls taken since the report was delivered to Congress on 9 September remain identical to before: roughly two thirds of those polled think that Clinton should not resign from office over an extramarital affair while roughly one third think he should resign or be impeached.
Chapter Two
From Governor James McGreevey's announcement yesterday:
Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am. As a young child, I often felt ambivalent about myself, in fact, confused....
[F]rom my early days in school, until the present day, I acknowledged some feelings, a certain sense that separated me from others. But because of my resolve, and also thinking that I was doing the right thing, I forced what I thought was an acceptable reality onto myself, a reality which is layered and layered with all the, quote, good things, and all the, quote, right things of typical adolescent and adult behavior.
Yet, at my most reflective, maybe even spiritual level, there were points in my life when I began to question what an acceptable reality really meant for me. Were there realities from which I was running?
Which master was I trying to serve?...
And so my truth is that I am a gay American....I realize the fact of this affair and my own sexuality if kept secret leaves me, and most importantly the governor's office, vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure.
So I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality....It makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations.
Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign.
No comments:
Post a Comment