Excuse me for repeating something I wrote years ago about a famous politician sleeping with a judge.
I repeat it here because of the sleaze that has floated to surface lately in the cesspool known as Politics. Or the Politics of Personal Destruction.
John McCain was gaining in the polls. Then, ten days ago, out popped a juicy story in the New York Times. It was about the senator giving favorable treatment to somebody who had contributed a lot to his campaign coffers.
Senator Edwards was rising in the Iowa polls. Suddenly there appeared a story that suggested he fathered a child by a woman not his wife.
Obama was gaining ground like crazy. Suddenly we saw stories about him possibly taking and even selling cocaine.
Rudy was riding high in the polls in various states. Came a slew of stories about possible scandals involving the Mayor.
I am not aware of any new scandals concerning Hillary. Of course, that particular In Basket has overflowed for years.
Now, you might wonder why you don’t see much about these scandals until just before a caucus vote. Or just before a primary election.
Just before the New Hampshire primary, years ago, there was a bimbo eruption on Bill Clinton. President Bush was hit with an old story about his youthful drinking. When? At a crucial point during his first campaign for the White House. And, of course, Dan Rather came out with the salvo that sunk his own boat - the bogus National Guard story on Bush - just before the last election.
Why such timing? Do political animals really keep lockers full of mud on their opponents? Do they hold it in reserve until they need it?
You are damned right they do.
Two examples of it. One gentleman was running along nicely in his campaign for the White House. This was not too many years ago. He was the front runner in some of the polls. Suddenly he was out of the race. Because a story broke that he had sex with a woman - or women - not his wife.
My wife worked for NBC at the time. She explained to me that most reporters knew he was involved with various women. It was hard not to know. Because the guy had been sleeping with a reporter from one of the networks!
If so many reporters knew this why did the story not surface? Why did it come to light only when the candidate started to pull away from other candidates?
The second example: Good friend of mine was in Congress for over two decades. He told me about a candidate for the vice-presidency. Said the candidate had been sleeping with a judge for many years. Said this was hardly a secret. Anybody who knew anything in Washington had known about this for a long time.
Now, the candidate was married. And not to the judge.
The story never came out. And why was that, I asked him.
“It didn’t have to,” he confided. “They weren’t going to win.” “They” being the candidate for President and Vice-President.
And what if those candidates had been winning? “The story would have come out.”
In the latest brouhaha Senator McCain said “I do find the timing of this whole issue very interesting.”
Interesting, yes, Senator. Surprising? Hardly.
From Tom ... as in Morgan.

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