Ensign Career Death Watch?

[RandySF]

Tonight we have the following revelations in Nevada:

1. The letter of apology to the Hamptons.
2. Ensign allegedly changing his mind and renewing his pursuit of Mrs. Hampton
3. A $25,000 unreported severance payment to Mrs. Hampton. Ensign not reporting that payment could be a felony.
4. The revelation that Coburn did indeed know about the affair.
5. Coburn's admission that he did recommend some kind of restitution.
6. An accusation that Coburn recommended paying several million dollars to move them to CO.
7. Coburn, in his statement, backhanded Ensign and said that if he had listened, it would have been over a long time ago.

Will any one of these or some combination mean the imminent end of Ensign's career? Does he hang on because he is a Republican? What does everyone think?

[Old and In the Way]

1. Can you imagine Coburn's outrage if it were a Democrat who got caught?

Instead, he's facilitating in the Republican cover-up. Hypocrites, all of them.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. wow

[rwheeler31]

3. There are so skunks how do you know which one will

blow?

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Let's hope you're correct and we never see from him again. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. "I used you for my own pleasure," wrote Ensign

:nopity:

Doug Hampton made the accusation in a TV interview with Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston. He also provided the newspaper with an emotional letter purportedly from Ensign to Hampton's wife, Cynthia, calling the months-long relationship a "sin."

"I used you for my own pleasure," :loveya: the letter reads, later adding, "Plain and simple it was wrong; it was sin."

The letter, which the Sun put on its website, and Doug Hampton's interview with Ralston marked another embarrassment for Ensign, 51, a Christian conservative who abruptly came forward last month and confessed to the affair. A severance payment could pose campaign finance or ethics issues for the senator.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ensign9-2009jul09,0,4185297.story

[abumbyanyothername]

6. Why are we attacking the affair, which is none of our business

when what we should be attacking is the politicalizing of his Christian viewpoints?

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. same thing

[abumbyanyothername]

9. Doesn't feel like it.

Seems like the same Clinton/Lewinsky witch hunt.

If you don't want politicians to sleep with people to whom they are not married, vote for people over 70. Maybe 60, but 70 to be safe.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. it's the hypocrisy I don't like

[RandySF]

8. The key is the $25,000

There is no record of the payment by the Ensign Campaign, his PAC or the NRSC. Failing to disclose that is a felony.

[abumbyanyothername]

11. I agree on that. nt

[HawkerHurricane]

12. He's got a (R) next to his name.

The party will forgive him in a election cycle or two. Either
a. In 4-8 years, he'll be running for office again and anyone who brings this up is bringing up 'ancient history'.
or
b. In 4-8 years they'll mention his name next to 'Democratic Party witch hunts destroying a good man who made a minor mistake'.

[malaise]

13. Has MorningJoeScum touched this yet?

:popcorn: