This from NPR

Detroit Mayor Faces Perjury, Misconduct Charges -

A prosecutor in Michigan announced Monday that she is bringing perjury and other charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff. Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy began investigating the mayor after the publication of racy text messages allegedly exchanged with his chief of staff.

Seems the mayor and his aide had testified that they had not used citizen-funded, mayoral security to help coverup their trysts when two police officers blew the whistle and testified to the contrary. The trial that's costing the beleaguered city millions. When the text messages between the mayor and his aide came out, the jig was, apparently, up.

Here's what bugs me--well, part of what bugs me--the lesson of Bill Clinton (aside from keeping Little Willie from overruling Big Willie) is that when asked about your sexual shenanigans, tell them it's none of their business. One of the (many) places where he got into mischief was when the spector of perjury, which is prosecutable, clung like toilet paper on a fine shoe to his statements. By keeping his lips zipped, he could have helped stave off a host of issues in Funky Dress Gate. Now, with the text of their text messages to one another the subject of news reports starting in January, there are cries for Mayor Kilpatrick to step down. He steadfastly refuses.

Again, here as with Presiden Clinton, Mayor Kilpatrick is a trained attorney who should know better than to lie. I hope for his sake that he isn't: He faces disbarrment, up to 15 years in jail and having his mayoralty stripped.

What I want to know is this: given what are the apparent realities of marital integrity among many of the political set, should we even care that a politician philanders (with the notable exception of money mischief or material obstruction)? I'm asking because I'm not certain anymore. What seems to be de rigueur is for pols to plead marital bliss and then run amok anyway.

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