A lot of talk has occurred lately on the state of the American political system, and lord knows that I have written just about enough on the fact that the divide between Americans is becoming too bitter. Nevertheless, let me write just a little bit more.

A few months ago, during the Illinois Republican senatorial primary, rumors began flying that there was something really juicy in front-runner Jack Ryan's background. Specifically, it was insinuated that there was some not so becoming information contained within the sealed documents regarding his divorce from uber-babe and actress Jeri Lynn Ryan. The mainstream media chose not to report on the subject at the time as it was all based on rumor and conjecture.



Last week, though, it became apparent that the rumors were true. The court documents, now unsealed, showed that Jack Ryan had attempted to take his wife to exhibitionist sex clubs on numerous occassions, much to her chagrin. Although he tried to weather the storm, he was forced to drop out, leaving Illinois Republicans without a candidate... for now.

Although I think that Ryan's opponent in the election, Barack Obama, would probably have won regardless of the scandal (the polling showed Obama with a huge lead), this event clearly helps the Democrats in the state. The state Republican Party is in shambles as their senatorial candidate dropped out of the race, former governors have disgraced them, the Democrats have won the states electoral votes for three straight elections, and the Democrats retook the governor's mansion for the first time in nearly two decades. In all, it's not a good time to be a Republican in the state.

When I discussed this issue with my brother-in-law over the weekend, he gave me a bit of good insight. Although the partisan side of me reveled in the fact that yet another hypocritical Republican was toiling over a sex scandal--that it served them right because of what they did to Clinton--my brother-in-law helped me realize that my rational side was not quite as happy about this prospect.

It's one thing if a candidate or politician is forced to resign because he forced himself on a woman (or a woman onto a man) or abused a child sexually--events the public has every right to know about--but its something entirely different if the action is between two consenting adults. What is more, if the event occurs between a husband and wife, its even more ridiculous to become public knowledge. Even more, if it is merely something a man wanted to do or fantasized about doing with his wife, we as a public have no right to know about this.

I'm not going to go into some rant about Jefferson, Hamilton, FDR, Kennedy, and Clinton, but I think its just about time to let some of these people have private lives. When we as a society use every opportunity to cut down our leaders, we make people not want to give their lives to service, and this is clearly not a good thing. Maybe my grandfather only speaks with nostalgia when he compares the time when he grew up--with leaders like Roosevelt and Churchill who were respected by all--with today, a time when one cannot name even one great leader of any country in the world; however, I think he has a point.

So what am I getting at here? I guess what I'm trying to say is that a balance is necessary in our culture, and especially in our media. It is important for the media to be skeptical of our politicians at all times, always willing to check if their claims are true. However, it is also important that we once again let our leaders have personal lives. Though I don't think Jack Ryan, for example, would have been a good leader regardless of his ideology (with which I don't generally agree), he should at least have had the chance to run. What he tried to do, or even wanted to do, with his then-wife is none of my business.