When it comes to the more primitive urges, a man who is President of the United States would be, ipso facto, regarded as an Alpha male, and female primates tend to gravitate toward Alpha males. When a normal male, Alpha or otherwise, has sweet young things frequently throwing themselves at his feet (or other portions of his anatomy), it can constitute a bit of a temptation. There are "political groupies" as well as various other kinds. Ever since George Washington (often referred to as "the father of his country" for, reputedly, more reasons than one), such things as extramarital hanky-panky was the norm rather than the exception with these guys. But as long as the office-holder was doing a halfway decent job otherwise, whether right or wrong, people tended to look the other way.

And then the Conservative Character-Assassination Squad decided to make it an issue with Bill Clinton. Since then, not only are a candidate's minor peccadilloes, such as smoking an occasional cigarette or cigar, or perhaps having a martini at the end of a harrowing day, become matters for banner headlines, but any goofy thing he might have done as a prepubescent is dredged up and made a campaign issue as well.

I used to smoke. Like a chimney! As did almost everyone I knew (regular tobacco cigarettes, by the way, lest anyone misinterpret), and I'd say if Obama lights up the occasional cigarette, as long as he doesn't do it in my living room, then it's strictly a matter between he and Michelle.

Some of the nastier conservative character assassins have tried to claim that Hillary is guilty of murder because an acquaintance of hers committed suicide, but they couldn't make any connection between anything Hillary did and that unfortunate act. And they have also claimed she bilked a lot of people in a bogus real estate deal, but investigation turned out that she and Bill got bilked themselves, out of a $60,000 investment of their own money. They've also hooted that, as far as Bill's indiscretions were concerned, Hillary was an "enabler" (whatever the hell that means). Fact is, when Bill finally fessed up about his dalliance with Monica, she kicked him out of the bedroom, dumped a heavy guilt-trip on him, and generally kept him in the doghouse until he got the idea that she was deeply hurt and offended, and that if their marriage was to continue, she wasn't going to tolerate anything like that in the future.

So, unless you can stand the heat, I'd say if you're unable to walk on water, and if you sometimes picked your nose when you were three years old, you'd better stay out of politics. Somebody's going to try to make an issue of it.

Don Firth