"higher standard of morality than you hold yourself"

Not at all!

And I hope you take my thoughts more as ponderment, and less as pronouncement.

I guess what I should have referred to is the struggle that goes on in my mind when the Sanfords, or the Edwards', or the Clintons, have the media, the scrutiny, the you-and-me-over-breakfast reading their intimate emails and details. How prurient, how awful.

But if you or I were to behave as they have, there would probably not be the public shaming. And if there were, I certainly would not take part. Unless we are friends-and-relations (a whole other story)truly your marriage and your bed are not my business. Nor are the private lives of public officials, except if they and to the extent that they bring shame and dishonesty to public office.

An analogy I think of is driving: if you cruise through a stop sign, it'll bother me alright, but I'll probably just shake my fist and get over it. But if I see the school bus do it, I'll be on the phone so fast that bus driver's head'll spin.

Know what I mean?

So, no, I don't want to draw and quarter Mark Sanford, or John Edwards. But I do want to slap them hard.

And, another example: I am a chef, and trained in food safety, sanitation, etc. If you cater a friend's wedding and everyone gets food poisoning.... would it be looked at the same as if I do it, even if neither of us intend for it to happen?

Dani