FLASHBACK: Ensign Called On Clinton To Resign After Admitting Affair — ‘He Has No Credibility Left’

[jefferson_dem]

FLASHBACK: Ensign Called On Clinton To Resign After Admitting Affair — ‘He Has No Credibility Left’

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza reports that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a member of GOP leadership and a potential candidate for president in 2012, will hold a press conference later today in which he will acknowledge having an extramarital affair “with a campaign staffer who was married to an employee in Ensign’s Senate office.” Ensign flew back to his Las Vegas to make the public announcement.

Since his election to the Senate in 2000, Ensign has been a leading conservative voice who demanded the resignation of former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig in September 2007. Ensign called Craig a “disgrace” after he was arrested in June 2007 in an airport men’s restroom on disorderly conduct charges. But when Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) acknowledged having an affair, Ensign he didn’t call on him to resign.

Ensign has also been an ardent opponent of gay marriage. In Feb. 2004, Ensign announced his support for an amendment to the Constitution that would have defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Ensign said the amendment, which ultimately failed, was necessary to protect “the institution of marriage“:

“Sadly, the effort to redefine marriage against the wishes of a majority of the people is, with help from activist judges, succeeding,” Ensign said. “In order to defend the institution of marriage, uphold the rights of individual states, and maintain the will of the people, I believe we are compelled to amend our country’s constitution.”

“The effort to pass a constitutional amendment reaffirming marriage as being between a man and a woman only is being undertaken strictly as a defense of marriage against the attempt to redefine it and, in the process, weaken it,” Ensign said. “Marriage is an extremely important institution in this country and protecting it is, in my mind, worth the extraordinary step of amending our constitution.”

In 1998, while running for the Nevada’s senate seat against Harry Reid, Ensign called on President Clinton to resign in light of his admitted affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky:

“I came to that conclusion recently, and frankly it’s because of what he put his whole Cabinet through and what he has put the country through,” Ensign said Thursday, becoming the first member of the Nevada delegation to call for Clinton to quit. “He has no credibility left.”

How much “credibility” does Ensign have left?

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/16/ensign-affair/

[hobbit709]

1. IOKIYAAR once again.

[panader0]

5. What does it mean?

IOKIYAAR?

[hobbit709]

6. It's OK If You Are A Republican.

[kath]

9. It's OK If You're A Republican - IOKIYAR

Number one ruling principle of US politics for at least the past couple of decades.

[DrToast]

2. Ensign threatens the institution of opposite marriage. nt

[Thrill]

3. Those Conservative Values

These guys are full of shit

[panader0]

4. I have shat turds with more credibility than Ensign

Hypocrisy is the guiding light for rebubs.

[hobbit709]

8. There's stuff in litter boxes with more credibility.

[Xipe Totec]

7. Methinks the laddie did protest too much n/t

[rvablue]

10. How many GOPers does that make now who freaked out about Clinton and have since been proven to be

caught up in a sex scandal?


I've lost count. They've added up to fast and furious.

[Captain Hilts]

18. I've still got hopes for Bill McCollum of Fla. nt

[NewJeffCT]

11. Everything changed after 9/11, though

including being able to cheat on your spouse & maintain credibility.

:sarcasm:

[kenny blankenship]

12. Once again it was all Clinton's fault. He ruined the morals of this country!

[ruggerson]

13. Obviously marriage is between a man and a woman... and another woman.. and another...

[MiniMe]

14. And yet, the word is that he is thinking of running for President in 2012

:rofl:

[4lbs]

15. What's the campaign slogan going to be?

"He's already screwed his family and his mistress several times over, so can't do anything to you. You can trust him!"

[struggle4progress]

20. "He's screwed everybody else: now let him screw you too!"

[Jim Lane]

16. A correction to the ThinkProgress article

ThinkProgress notes that Ensign, calling for Clinton's resignation, said, "He has no credibility left." That's correct, but the newspaper article cited by ThinkProgress doesn't contain that particular quotation. It can be found in from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

[Captain Hilts]

17. Ensign, Gingrich, Livingston all thought Clinton should resign. Writes its own punchline. nt

[Arugula Latte]

19. What will we tell the chiiiiiiildren? *wrings hands*