I will assume you know what that idiom means. Okay, in case you don't . . . it means accusing someone of a fault the accuser shares.
I read an article recently that began . . .
"If slavery was America's original sin, Puritanism was its original curse." I don't know about that, but . . .
Just this week, David Wu, an Oregon lawmaker resigned amid allegations of unwanted sexual advances. He also emailed a picture of himself in a tiger costume. Now that is just . . .
adorable. I wonder where he got that.
Anyway, Mr. Wu joins a long list of lawmakers with lapses in judgement like:
- Chris Lee (New York), resigned after sending bare-chested photos to a woman he met on Craig's List
Perhaps I should have uploaded this photo.
- John Ensign (Nevada), resigned after having an affair with his best friend's wife then trying to cover it up
Apparently his best friend had a problem with that.
- Anthony Weiner (New York), resigned after sending pictures of his genitals on Twitter
I decided not to upload this photo. You're welcome.
And that's just so far this year.
You may also remember:
- Mark Souder (Indiana), extramarital affair with staffer; ironically, he and she made a public video about the virtues of sexual abstinence
I love it when I get to use the word hypocrite.
- John Edwards (North Carolina), extramarital affair with campaign worker, denied it as long as possible, indicted in 2011 for using $1 million in campaign funds to hide the affair
A million dollars. It just doesn't buy what it used to.
- David Vitter (Louisiana), admitted to adultery after his name was discovered in the DC Madam's address book ; ironically Vitter took over Robert Livingston's House seat who resigned due to extramarital affair
Louisiana. My home state. Motto: Union, Justice, Confidence. It doesn't mean all of them at once.
- Bill Clinton (President), impeached by House and acquitted by Senate for engaging in oral sex with a White House intern
I wonder if Linda Tripp still thinks it was worth it.
- Newt Gingrich (Georgia), resigned from House due to extramarital affair with intern; ironically while leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton
I believe that defines the pot/kettle idiom.
- Ken Calvert (California), arrested for soliciting a prostitute; ironically received a 100% approval rating by the Christian Coalition
I'm not sure if this rating was before or after . . . need to check that.
I could actually go on, but I won't. As a matter of fact, this list could go on and on, going way back in time, but it's probably best to keep those still on a pedestal, on a pedestal. I guess we can be thankful the internet is less than 50 years old.
I started to think about this long, incomplete list of public figures who've done some seriously stupid things, but here's the thing - most are not illegal.
I'm from the "old school" by today's standards, but I still have to wonder if we could lighten up just a bit. Frankly, I'm impressed they know how to text a photo of themselves. Did I say that right?
Yes, we may be disgusted by some of these lapses in judgement, but if they haven't done anything illegal, should it really be the scandal it usually turns into? It seems their biggest mistake was not being discreet.
Should what they do in their private lives with another consenting adult be just that - private? There are some things we really don't need to know.
However, for those few days of full blown media attention, it does distract the general public from the serious issues facing our lawmakers. You can just hear them saying "Thanks for falling on your sword. There is a God." . . . while hoping for that next distraction.
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