Daily Kos loves Mark Sanford

As of the afternoon today (June 24th), Daily Kos has 9 threads prominently featuring Mark Sanford's affair. I guess you'd expect that.

Daily Kos has a search feature like most web sites. Try searching on "Edwards affair" over the last year. I'm getting 36 hits, but most are not about John Edward's affair, they are about somebody else named Edwards, or just have the word affair in the text. The help instructions don't help on finding John AND Edwards AND affair in the same posts. - anybody know the trick?

Anyway, and no surprise to anyone, Daily Kos, while accusing Republicans of hypocrisy, is being hypocritical itself. One article posts:

John Edwards, a Democrat, had his political career effectively terminated when news of an affair came to light; a Republican can visit a prostitute wearing a diaper, and find himself easily forgiven.

It should be noted that John Edwards retired from the Senate in 2004, well before his affair became public. One could argue that his political career is over because he lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Obama, though the affair certainly did not help. He initially denied the affair before admitting it. And declaring his political career over may be premature, since the LA Times says he has not ruled out a return to politics.

It's too early to tell what will happen to all the Republicans who have had affairs, but here's a brief tally so far.

John Ensign, Senator from Nevada, resigned his Senate leadership post. He faces reelection in 2012.

Mark Foley, Representative from Florida, resigned from Congress.

Larry Craig, Senator from Idaho, resigned (and then unresigned) in 2007, then effectively resigned by not seeking reelection in 2008.

David Vitter, Senator from Louisiana, solicited prostitutes between 1999 and 2001. The very next day after this was revealed he issued an apology saying "This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible". He faces reelection in 2010. Since it is Louisiana and he was not sleeping with a dead girl, he may well win.


Anyway, this shows that neither Democrats nor Republicans get a free pass for sexual indiscretions. Claims of hypocrisy by Daily Kos are wrong.