Sanford

This blog used to devote much cyber-ink to Republican politicians who tarnished the GOP's image as the party of family values. I was particularly amused by Mark Foley and former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (one of the more obvious closeted gays in the history of Congress).

But I never truly wanted those guys to lose their jobs over sex scandals. For other reasons, yes. The sex stuff was simply...funny.

Which brings us to the case of Mark Sanford, who hopes to make a comeback. Sure, the "hiking the Appalachian Trail" thing amused me as much as it amused everyone else, but now -- well, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with Larry Flynt's satirical jabs at Sanford's indiscretions.

"No one has done more to expose the sexual hypocrisy of traditional values in America today. He is the man of the hour — the midnight hour," Flynt says in his endorsement posted online Tuesday afternoon. "He has demonstrated by his words and deeds that traditional values are shameful and that he will not live by such rules. As the bible teaches us: 'Ye shall know them by their fruits.'"

Don't get me wrong: I like Flynt. Sure, his porn was always kind of disgusting, even by porn standards -- back in my younger days, I'd look at Hustler only if I wanted to quell horniness -- but the guy is funny and politically savvy. And I admire that elaborate John Wayne monument he put in front of his building. Only a man of great wit and insouciance would place a massive piece of cowboy art in the middle of Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd.

Nevertheless, Flynt's jabs at Sanford are out of line. You can't combat sexual hypocrisy by being a hypocrite yourself.

A man's private life is his own business. Sins unrelated to either public policy or finance should not determine a politician's fate. There are plenty of reasons to vote against Sanford, but "the Appalachian Trail" is not among them.

I'm sorry now about the earlier Cannonfire posts on Hastert and Foley.