PHOTOS, PAGE 1

       Editor and prime reporter is Doug Terry, a veteran television and radio reporter in   Washington, DC, (details below)

If you needed any other indication that being in Washington, DC, and being a congressman is no fun anymore, look no further than the statement below by Mark Souter, a long serving but largely unknown Congressman from Indiana who is quitting the House rather than face the humiliation of trying to run for re-election after having had an affair with a part time staffer. What’s this world coming to?

Well, the Republicans have only themselves to blame. For the last couple of decades they’ve run for office on moral and family values and they have, especially recently, found themselves in deep trouble on, guess what?, moral and family values. Who says having a sexual relationship outside of marriage is a good thing? Not many people. But, hey, it is not the same as killing someone or running people down with your car or issuing three billion dollars in mortgages guaranteed to fail. There are two places where humans are most likely to mess up (aside from lying) and those have to do with money and sex. It will ever be thus.

In terms of money, trying to take some that is not yours puts you in a special, unfortunate category, unless you are on Wall Street or are a banker, and then its okay (it seems). Having consenting sexual relations with another adult is the other area where grown human beings are highly likely to stray beyond the perfect image we have of marriage. It is not the worst thing in the world. It is, even, not the worst thing that can happen in a marriage, although it often proves to be a quick pathway to divorce.

We’ve been pushed into the idea that an affair marks the end of a political career by a number of forces, not the least of which was the phony moralizing of the Republicans. Then, there was Gingrich having an affair during the whole impeachment against Bill Clinton**, when Clinton was being attacked on all sides because of his sexual exploits.  Then, the next guy in line for Speaker of the House, Bob Livingston, quit, saying he had affairs.

Then (this gets tiresome quickly, doesn’t it?),Congressman Condit of California had an affair with an intern in his office, who then got murdered by someone else. Then, the most laughable, worst one of all, the exceedingly dumb “Appalachian Trail” affair of the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford. Add all the other stupid affairs of the last few years and you’ve got an ugly pile of overcooked stew on the stove. Hep me, plse.

By the way, the statement is in the form in which it was released: all capitals, no paragraphs. Apparently, the Congressman did not pass 8th grade English.

STATEMENT BY MARK SOUDER RESIGNING CONGRESS

IT IS WITH GREAT REGRET I ANNOUNCE THAT I AM RESIGNING FROM THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS WELL AS RESIGNING AS THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR CONGRESS IN THIS FALL'S ELECTION.I BELIEVE IT IS THE BEST DECISION FOR MY FAMILY, THE PEOPLE OF NORTHEAST INDIANA, AND OUR COUNTRY. I WILL SUBMIT MY RESIGNATION TO SPEAKER PELOSI EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY. I CAN NEVER FULLY THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD, GIVEN SO MUCH AND SUPPORTED ME THROUGH EIGHT CONTESTED PRIMARIES AND EIGHT GENERAL ELECTIONS.ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN THE RECIPIENT CAN YOU REALLY FEEL THE HUMBLING POWER OF SUCH GENEROSITY. IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO BE A PART OF THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM AND THE VALUES WE SHARE.IT HAS BEEN A GREAT HONOR TO FIGHT FOR THE NEEDS, THE JOBS, AND THE FUTURE OF THIS REGION WHERE MY FAMILY HAS LIVED FOR OVER 160 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN ALL CONSUMING FOR ME TO DO THIS JOB WELL, ESPECIALLY IN A DISTRICT WITH COSTLY, COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS EVERY TWO YEARS I DO NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF "NORMAL" LIFE - FOR FAMILY, FOR FRIENDS, FOR CHURCH, FOR COMMUNITY.TO SERVE HAS BEEN A BLESSING AND A RESPONSIBILITY GIVEN FROM GOD.I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER EXAMPLE. I SINNED AGAINST GOD, MY WIFE AND MY FAMILY BY HAVING A MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A PART-TIME MEMBER OF MY STAFF.IN THE POISONOUS ENVIRONMENT OF WASHINGTON DC, ANY PERSONAL FAILING IS SEIZED UPON, OFTEN TWISTED, FOR POLITICAL GAIN. I AM RESIGNING RATHER THAN TO PUT MY FAMILY THROUGH THAT PAINFUL, DRAWN-OUT PROCESS.DIANE AND MY FAMILY WERE MORE THAN WILLING TO STAND HERE WITH ME. WE ARE A COMMITTED FAMILY. BUT THE ERROR IS MINE AND I SHOULD BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY, NOT ONLY AM I THANKFUL FOR A LOVING FAMILY BUT FOR A LOVING GOD. MY COMFORT IS THAT GOD IS A GRACIOUS AND FORGIVING GOD TO THOSE WHO SINCERELY SEEK HIS FORGIVENESS AS I DO. BUT I AM SO ASHAMED TO HAVE HURT THOSE I LOVE.I AM SO SORRY TO HAVE LET SO MANY FRIENDS DOWN, PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR ME. THE IDEAS WE ADVOCATE ARE STILL JUST AND RIGHT.AMERICA WILL SURVIVE AND THRIVE WHEN ANCHORED IN THOSE VALUES.HUMAN BEINGS, LIKE ME, WILL FAIL, BUT OUR CAUSE IS GREATER THAN INDIVIDUALS.IT IS BASED UPON ETERNAL TRUTHS.BY STEPPING ASIDE, MY MISTAKE CANNOT BE USED AS A POLITICAL FOOTBALL IN A PARTISAN ATTEMPT TO UNDERMINE THE CAUSE FOR WHICH I HAVE LABORED ALL MY ADULT LIFE.I LOVE THIS AREA.THIS IS MY HOME.IT HAS BEEN SUCH AN HONOR TO SERVE YOU.FOR SIXTEEN YEARS, MY FAMILY AND I HAVE GIVEN OUR ALL FOR THIS AREA. THE TOLL HAS BEEN HIGH.AS I LEAVE PUBLIC OFFICE, MY PLANS ARE FOCUSED UPON REPAIRING MY MARRIAGE, EARNING BACK THE TRUST OF MY FAMILY AND MY COMMUNITY, AND RENEWING MY WALK WITH MY LORD. I HUMBLY ASK YOU, FOR THE SAKE OF MY FAMILY THAT YOU RESPECT OUR PRIVACY IN THIS DIFFICULT TIME.

**It quickly became known after Gingrich resigned as Speaker that he had been having an affair with a much younger staffer. Ginrich’s divorce, his second, followed an ugly break-up with his first wife that had also been reported on after it was over. In fact, his affair might have been known by some people in the news media, but lacking a clear “news peg” or apparent conflict with his duties in Congress, they might not have been able to find a way to get a story into print or on the air.

The Gingrich resignation, coming as it did in the aftermath of the Clinton impeachment mess, did not get the attention it deserved. It was reported, but not fully confirmed, that five or more younger, moderate Republican members of Congress had threatened to withhold their votes for Gingrich’s re-election as Speaker, leaving him with no choice but to step down or face humiliation.

Basically, Gingrich, who had inspired the moralizing generation of Republicans to run for Congress, got off nearly scott free. He was “forgiven” by fellow Republicans before he had ever been accused due to his skillful management of the resignation and its luck of timing. The national news media didn’t seem to know what to do with the story, so, they forgot about it. They were all over the “Republican Revolution” story in 1994 and 95. When the Gingrich take over of the House of Representatives came flying apart like a small bird caught out in a hurricane, the news media didn’t seem to know what to do or say. The story just fluttered away.

What does it matter? When you put together your personal narrative of those times, as a citizen and as a voter, you need to know what actually happened. 99 percent of Americans can surely summon the idea that Bill Clinton had some sort of sex with an intern and tried to lie and half lie his way out of it, in part to save his presidency and, equally important, to save his marriage. Not even 9 tenths of one percent would likely to be able to fit the Gingrich story of his affairs into the picture. Thus, for all intents and purposes, it didn’t happen, unless it becomes a big issue for Gingrich in the future. The lingering bad taste among some conservative, fundamentalist elements of the Republican party might have convinced Gingrich not to seek the presidency in 2008, but he shows no signs at the present of having lowered his aspirations.

5.18.10

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