Sex and the Mahoney

I was really going into withdrawal, what with the recent lack of sex in political news. I mean, Spitzer's pretty much over and done with; who knows if Ashley Alexandra Dupree (Miss Youmans if you're nasty) will ever appear on Girls Gone Wild. And what of John Edwards' mistress? And the love child? And a real news organization to find out all about it, such as the National Enquirer?

But here, in Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney, I have a fix to my news need. And don't act all holy roller on me, either. You read these stories just as much as anybody.

Here's the skinny: Newb congressman gets busted for his affair with a staffer and paying her some hush money. Icing on the cake: He's the replacement for former Rep. Mark Foley, who sent all those texts to male pages. Mahoney campaigned on a family values, morals type of schtick, which I believe qualifies for the moniker of "ironic."

Chocolate syrup on the icing: this quote - "No marriage is perfect," Mahoney said, "but our private life is our private life."

Um, yeah, that would be true, unless you were a member of the House of Representatives. When you frequent certain coffee shops on a regular basis, have a special type of gin you prefer or enjoy Caribbean vacations, all of these will make the news. It's just fun, tidbit-type stuff people like to read about their politicians, but don't necessarily care about when it's just their neighbor.

So, when you sleep around on your wife, expect it to make the papers. If Mahoney had been in D.C. longer, he may have realized this aspect of public life. It doesn't look like he'll get the time to figure that out.