Once again, another of our illustrious politicians has managed to wrangle up a scandal or two. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This time, the winning state is Florida and the headline-making name is none other than Democrat Tim Mahoney.

Tim Mahoney has defended his actions of paying a woman he’d had an affair with. He says he did nothing illegal. I guess not. Most mistresses are accustomed to being “kept” and there’s nothing illegal about that. The bigger problem is his marriage and whether or not the Mrs. will allow him to continue breathing. Wouldn’t we just love to see one of these wives belly-up and demand a divorce? I would love to see one of them not stand by their husbands as he declares his unending love to “the woman who stood by me no matter what, who I have betrayed in the cruelest ways”, but instead, release her own statement along the lines of, “The arrogance and narcissistic nature of my husband has forced me to make a choice I never dreamed I’d have to. Because he can’t keep the pony in the

Tim Mahoney

barn, I have chosen to file for divorce.” I know we’ll never live to see a statement like that, but still, their passive and martyred natures are becoming tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of an incredible difficult position to find yourself in. I know how exhausting and hurtful it can be. And it does go back to these politicians becoming accustomed to people following around in their attempts to be helpful and providing every miniscule request they demand. And too, the wives, once they discover the infidelity, most likely ensure life becomes less than pleasant for these political figures - at least their personal lives at home that are never exposed in the media. That is probably the safest way to ensure it doesn’t become a bigger scandal - the wives probably inflict their cold shoulders and temper tantrums at the one place the media has no access to - which, of course, is their home.

The one winner in this scandal is the former aide whose bank account is now $121,000 to the good. Oh, and lest we forget, Tim Mahoney won his bid after his adamant insistences of returning “morals and family values” to politics. This, of course, was the same position that was open due to Mark Foley’s suggestive and what some insist were sexual text messages to young Washington male pages.

His declaration of having done nothing that violated his office or any laws might be true, but a wise man would think more of the long term consequences of the violations against these morals and family values he hung his promises from.

Need proof that the scandalous political cycle exists? This should provide it.