In the wake of Spitzergate, and the equally resonant Silda-Wall-Spitzer-stands-by-her-man-gate, wasn't there a great deal of clucking about how female politicians never seem to get embroiled in sex scandals? This might be generally true--except when your blowhard husband grabs the old shepherd's crook and yanks you onto center stage.
Case in point: Thomas Athans, sponsor of liberal radio network TalkUSA and husband of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, has been caught up in a prostitution sting in Stabenow's home state of Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reports that Athans was pulled over for a traffic violation and volunteered almost instantly that he had been with a 20-year old prostitute just moments before.
Already it seems the hardworking Stabenow--too important to recede into Wall Spitzer's lip-biting silence--is going to have to deal with not just the spousal betrayal, but the implications of its low budget. Athans reportedly paid the hooker only $150, and stayed at the sumptuous roadside penthouse suite for just 15 minutes. This prompts Juliet Lapidos over at XX, to smirk: "So Athans is cheap, fast, and knows a punch line when he sees one." Sigh.
--Dayo Olopade