I say no. Think about the sex scandals or domestic issues not in terms of sensationalism, but in terms of how hurtful it can be to families and children when their personal lives are exposed. But much of the mainstream media has a “tabloid” mindset and let’s be honest – wants sensationalism to sell advertising (Notice you never read anything in the press about the press and its employees – they must be perfect).

Yes, absolutely. When the original Enquirer story about the affair with Rielle Hunter came out, John Edwards categorically denied the relationship, stating: "The story is false. It's completely untrue, ridiculous." He lied. Do we want a liar in public office? As he rejected the Enquirer's charges, Edwards was making his wife and their marriage a central component of his campaign – role model. If Edwards had had no affair, he wasn't a hypocrite, not then and not now. But if Edwards had an affair and lied about it, shouldn't he suffer scrutiny akin to that of Senator Craig? At least three-dozen daily newspapers in the United States published the Craig news the day after the Roll Call scoop, after the story broke about Edwards, not a single U.S. daily mentioned the Enquirer piece.

Maybe… YES for Craig but NO for Edwards. The two stories – Edwards and Craig, aren't completely analogous. A cop charged Craig with a misdemeanor – playing footsy, and he pleaded guilty and that is newsworthy IF and only IF it is true because it is criminal behavior. Of course nowadays, anyone can charge anyone with anything and it goes on the record which is terrible. Anyway, there's no denying that Craig deserved the hypocrisy scrutiny after his position about gay rights. Edwards, on the other hand, is guilty of nothing beyond running away from tabloid reporters in a Beverly Hills hotel stairway in the early morning hours after visiting a female friend in her room. Can you imagine if Obama would have selected him as his VP and the story broke then? Also, all of the Enquirer's published "evidence" of an Edward’s affair comes from unnamed sources and I am dying to know who that was and if it was politically motivated. And I should mention that an Edward’s political operative, Andrew Young, claims that he is the father of Hunter's child.

I say yes. Anyone care to consider how the press treated Jesse Jackson when he admitted to having fathered a daughter outside of his marriage? The baby arrived in 1999, but Jackson didn't go public about it until 2001, after the National Enquirer scheduled its story about the little girl and her mother. Jackson, who LOVES preaching to others about their morality is one of the most bigoted, racist politicians ever. He uses the title “reverend” to leverage the late Martin Luther King’s admirable reputation. However, he suffered very little from the press after his admission. It's hard to top Jackson for hypocrisy. In late 1998, while Karin Stanford was carrying the reverend's child, the two visited President Bill Clinton in the White House. Bill was "recovering" from the Lewinsky scandal, and Jesse was there to "counsel" him. What a crock of sh___t!

YES! Are you serious ?!! Look at the scandal about N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer took office in January 2007 after eight years as the state's attorney general, rising to national prominence. He built his career on rooting out public corruption and became a national figure with a series of high-profile Wall Street investigations. Ironically, he also prosecuted prostitution rings. He is married with three daughters. Supposedly, a federal money-laundering investigation led agents to Spitzer. The supporting affidavit details arrangements for a nearly 2½-hour rendezvous between Client 9 and a prostitute identified only as "Kristen" at a Washington hotel The woman was a 22 year old singer from New Jersey according to The New York. The affidavit alleged that Client 9 paid for the prostitute to travel from New York to Washington. It a federal offense to take someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. The Emperors Club, for which officials said the prostitute worked, charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour and operated in New York; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France, according to the court papers. Spitzer allegedly spent more than $15,000 for several encounters with prostitutes. He eventually admitted to it and apologized. We paid for this!

I hate to be a “Yes Man” but I agree with the YES angle. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was having an extramarital affair while he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal. Gingrich said, “The honest answer is yes,” Gingrich was a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, During an interview, he said, “There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There’s certainly times when I’ve fallen short of God’s standards.” But he stated that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton. Because the president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge, not receiving oral sex. But, it was in the White House.

It has to be MAYBE. There have been presidential candidates who had affairs that the press decided not to write about, like Wendell Wilkie, FDR, and John F. Kennedy. And there have been candidates whose infidelities have been uncovered during the course of a campaign: Gary Hart's indiscretions ultimately derailed his 1988 bid, and in 1992, during the course of his campaign, Bill Clinton was forced to make the euphemistic admission that he "caused pain" in his marriage. Presidential nominee, McCain was still married to his first wife in 1979 (supposedly the marriage was on the rocks) when he began dating Cindy, his current wife. Many of us have been through this – let’s be truthful. It should not have been a campaign issue for McCain because it happened before he was a politician and after he had been through unbelievable trauma. McCain divorced his first wife after returning from his 5 year imprisonment in Vietnam. No one knows why things fell apart for him and his first wife and quite frankly, it is on one’s business. He did not really launch political career until 2000. McCain managed to deflect media questioning about his first marriage with a deft admission of responsibility for its failure.

Judges are the biggest hypocrites if you ask me. All day long they pass judgement and impact people's lives. But who judges them? Judge John Pickering used to be drunk and use profanity from the bench. Then there was Clarence Thomas - Anita Hill sexual harrassment during the Supreme Court nominations in 91. My personal favorite was when an Oklahoma jury convicted Judge Donald Thompson of indecent exposure and recommended that the former judge serve a year in prison on each of four felony counts. He was convicted of indecent exposure for using a penis pump (among other really gross acts) while on the bench. Thompson exposed himself during three separate 2003 cases (two of which were murder trials). There are lots of sick, crooked judges out that think they are God. I am waiting for someon to set up a site that allows common folk to rate judges and lawyers. Now, that would quite democratic!

What is a public figure? Seems to me if you put yourself out there in the public's eye, then you automatically assume the responsibility of adhering to a higher standard of conduct. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Have you ever seen a public figure who did not have an opinion. Well, guess what? When they criticize from the advantage of their public perch, they need to be able to take it too. The bad comes along with the good.