It's just not sure what to do about it. In his 1988 presidential bid, the long-married Hart dared reporters to catch him in a compromising position, snuggled with Donna Rice on the aptly named boat Monkey Business and was forced to drop out of the race in '87. Anyone that reckless with his private life was deemed a poor choice for the professional demands of the presidency. Good intentions were the emphasis, not the end result of those efforts. Arkansas voters heard the rumors of philandering for years and repeatedly elected him anyway.
Infidelity can be a major or minor sin, and the public decides when to make it their business.
Allegations of adultery crippled the public aspirations of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros, ended the presidential ambitions of Virginia Sen. Chuck Robb and derailed the gubernatorial ambitions of Rep. Joe Kennedy after stories emerged about his late brother, Michael. On the other hand, allegations of infidelity have done little damage to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. And D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was reelected with relative ease, even after a hotel room tryst led to his being prosecuted on drug charges. And now, in the center ring, Roy Romer. The Democratic National Committee chairman and Colorado governor held an extraordinary news conference two weeks ago.