I have a serious problem. You see, no matter how I try I can’t get over the girlish notion that political leaders are supposed to be people you can look up to as people. I am only being partially facetious. The fashionable thing to do today on your blog seems to be to say, “Personally, I feel there’s nothing wrong with prostitution.” And maybe there is nothing wrong with prostitution, but there’s nothing right with it either. Maybe it should be legalized to protect all parties involved. I don’t know, and I’m too disgusted to reason it out right now.

My gag reflex is hardly a sterling standard of moral arbitration, I realize, but I am sickened by the news about Spitzer as I was sickened by the news about Bill Clinton, as I was sickened by the news about Jack Kennedy and so on and so on. Leaders are human and hero worship is unattractive in a 20-year-old, this I understand. A leader’s sexual conduct should have little, if anything, to do with the public’s conception of him, or so I tell myself. I have on many occasions professed to be embarrassed for America over the Lewinsky scandal, have often advocated the adoption of a more French view of leaders’ sexual intrigues, but nonetheless I am disgusted by the flagrant disregard of American politicians for even the pretense of sexual morality. It’s not just the fault of the Democratic party, to be sure, but for me hitting middle school and finding out about Marilyn Monroe and about the true nature of the stain on Monica’s blue dress was more personally appalling even than reading through Mark Foley’s IMs.

Why? Because we’re supposed to be the good guys. Is it so much to ask that we act like it in our personal lives? It very possibly is too much to ask, or so the evidence seems to indicate. It also very possibly is that sexual morality is too relative or that I am too naive to pass judgment. As I said before, I’m too disgusted to reason it out right now. I won’t apologize for this disgust, however. I know many others have been feeling it all day, and it is our right to.

There is no political draft. Prospective leaders ask us for our votes and by so doing implore us to imbue them with great responsibility and equally great privilege, and promise us that they will be equal to the responsibility and worthy of the privilege. All we ask is that they serve us well and make us proud. All too few of them manage to do both. And so today I indulge my disgust, but tomorrow I hope to abandon it. I am tired of feeling this way.