<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by shedawg:<BR><B>OK, color me stupid. It wasn't Washington. Martha's children were from a previous marriage. <BR>Ben Franklin!! That's the name I was looking for. He had numerous illigitamite children.<BR>In 1992, Clintons affair with Jennifer Flowers was a big deal but he still managed to get elected, so his affair wasn't a major priority or problem to the public..</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>You're joking, right? Was his "affair" with Monica Lewinsky a problem to the public? Was his "affair" with Paula Jones a problem to the public? Was his "affair" with Kathleen Willey a problem to the public? Surely you jest when you make that statement after the hell this country has been through the past 8 years.<P>Clinton managed to get elected by LYING about his affair with Gennifer Flowers and the public believed him. He smeared Flowers as a liar, remember? So you can't say that the public knew and elected him anyway - he lied to us - denied the affair. That's the KIND OF MAN he is and was an accurate OMEN of things to come.<P>Nor did Ben Franklin have illegitimate children, nor was he elected to a high office. Nor is it even relevent if he had 10 million illegitimate children because 10 wrongs don't make a right. <P>Even so, an affair doesn't have to stand in the way of doing one's job, but LOW MORALS do. An affair is just indictive of a dishonest character. And having a low character sure does stand in the way in many positions. One's character is very important in positions where a high level of trust and responsibility is required, ie: presidency, congress - we are not talking about the night janitor at McDonald's here. <P>We are talking about occupations in which a person can BOMB other countries. Guys that can BOMB other countries [terrorists in tents and aspirin factories] when the scandal management is going roughly at home and your blowjobess is going to the grand jury to show them a certain semen stained dress. I think we need to be somewhat careful about whom we give that kind of power to, don't you? <P>Look at how ONE MAN'S corrupt character practically brought our government to a deadlock for years and cost us millions of dollars to investigate. He made us an international laughing stock. Hopefully we learned from that 8 year long debacle that character DOES count, especially in the presidency!<BR>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by shedawg:<BR><B><BR>I believe that you can seperate the two. You don't bring your work problems home with you and pick a fight with your spouse and you don't take your family problems to work with you and become unproductive.<BR>I was always able to keep the two worlds seperated, as should be, atleast in my mind.<BR>.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>But what you're proposing is impossible when it comes to character. That is entirely different from bringing everyday problems home. For example, if one is dishonest at home, he obviously isn't going to magically become honest on the way to work, and vice versa. One is either honest or he's not. But I would venture to say that if one if dishonest and unethical to the one<P>s he LOVES [spouse/children] he is even more likely to be dishonest to those he doesn't love, ie: his boss, subordinates, the electorate. You might be able to seperate your worklife from your homelife but you can't seperate your CHARACTER, just doesn't work that way. [just look at recent examples in this country!]

well dana, been following this thread with interest, and have not had to post cause you are doing a terrific job of stating how I see it also. However, I do accept I will not be getting your vote if I run for president, and maybe that is as it should be.<P>shedawg, I can appreciate your struggling for a pragmatic outlook, but you are sorely mistaken, your life is a tapestry, it cannot be compartmentalized, human beings do not function that way. While matters of the heart can be murky, and take one to strange places, and not necessarily mean someone can't be an effective leader, general, business tycoon, it does depend. And that depend is on lessons learned and repetitive behaviour. I am sure we can find immorality in the lives of some leaders recognized for their achievements....but I would also bet we can find far far more damage done by immoral people in positions of public trust. The very act of prodigious self-seving lieing done by public officials to get elected or reelected is a harbinger of the self-serving filter they will always see through, not the duty, statesman filter we elect them to see through. Don't ya think that is of concern?

If every person that has had an affair is of such low character why in the world is this site set up to keep the marriage together. Do we really as a society believe that we should encourage spouses to stay married to such scum?? I mean, in effect, that is what you are saying.<P>And yes, Ben Franklin did have many illigitamite children.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sad_n_lonely:<BR><B>well dana, been following this thread with interest, and have not had to post cause you are doing a terrific job of stating how I see it also. However, I do accept I will not be getting your vote if I run for president, and maybe that is as it should be.<P></B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Don't feel alone, snl, *I* wouldn't get my vote either, hehe Thanks for the compliment <P>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by shedawg:<BR><B>If every person that has had an affair is of such low character why in the world is this site set up to keep the marriage together. Do we really as a society believe that we should encourage spouses to stay married to such scum?? I mean, in effect, that is what you are saying.<P>.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Because some people can and DO learn from thier shortcomings and become stronger people with solid characters. And then, some don't! But you can't just throw a person away because they have a character defect or weakness; we ALL have character defects to some degree or another. You have to give them a chance to rectify the problem and change. But degree is a very important side to all this when you realize that there is a very wide character gap between - for example - Charles Manson and Mother Theresa.