Aug 13, 2004   | COMMENTS     

is that I am a gay American,'' he said. If that had been the beginning and the end of the story, we would be celebrating Mr. McGreevey's candor, not assessing his resignation. But the story — like Mr. McGreevey's statement — was incomplete. The governor's announcement was reportedly driven by the threat of a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former aide, Golan Cipel. Mr. McGreevey, who has two children from his two marriages and whose wife stood next to him during his press conference, acknowledged that he had committed adultery with another man. He did not say that the man in question had worked for his administration. Gay or straight, that kind of relationship raises troubling questions, apart from the issue of whether it was consensual.

From Wonkette:

Excuse the expression, but screw Obama. This was the speech of the year. The most high profile outing, well, ever, and McGreevey handled it with grace and dignity. He sort of makes me want to go gay, too. We hope that someday it won't mean much to go on national television and announce, "I am a gay American." Someday, we hope that kind of announcement comes at the beginning of someone's political career, not the end.

From Paul Vitello of Newsday: Whether he was resigning because he didn't think voters could accept a gay governor, or because he didn't think they would accept an adulterous governor, or because he really thought his family needed him full time in this crisis, he didn't exactly say. From past experience, voters have not judged sexual behavior — of any kind — very harshly in a politician.