Powerful Men, powerful urges

Sometimes the political coverage in American newspapers can make a gossipy filmfare or stardust look like an old church bulletin.

Just over the past few years, in Amercia alone one has read about so many scandals - New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy confessing to a gay relation; some Senator caught playing footsie with an policeman in a airport toilet; some Congressman sent kinky messages to teenagers and now the latest bombshell the NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's trysts with expensive call girls!

And closer to home a recent scandelous blow-up of a think tank head in KL having a rolicking affair with a east european woman and then getting her killed when she was wanting to blow the whistle on their elicit relation and another healthy and wise Minister having a ball with a woman in a posh hotel all caught in action in camera!

Oh ya I how could I forget Bill Clinton's ever so famous remark - "I-did-not-have-sexual-relations-with-that-woman"!

The Spitzer scandal has set many a tounge wagging on the blogsphere, op-ed columns etc on whether men are just inherent horndogs; why should we care about personal indiscretions as long as they dont prevent the guy from doing his job; why should spouses give them another chance etc etc

I wonder if powerful men have even more poweful urges!
I really wonder how influentioal men with so much to loose, still indulge in such high risk behaviour?

Is it some death wish! Do they suddenly realise how lonely they have become after having spent so many years clawing their way to power.

Maybe.

But it could be that these high achievers are risk takers and that applies to their social or personal lives as well. Or maybe powerful men simply like being powerful and nothing is ever enough to satisfy them.

Guess, for them having a secret life is just possessing another level of power over others.

But then, I am pretty sure that ordinary Joes also lead secret exisitance - extra marital affairs, late-night porn surfing, visits to red light areas, etc etc.

The only difference these ordinary men have vis-a-vis their powerful counterparts is that their wives dont stand next to them when they confess to their world at a rostrum! And I guess mostly these ordinary folks dont have the kinda money to woo expensive call girls either.

But then am sure there are a few, just a few (weak) men, who are probably wired (in)correctly and their fear of shame trumps temptation. Thus avoiding any potential heart break, breach of trust, break in their exisiting commitments and duties (BTW - only for themselves and their loving wives) - so what if that is at the cost of ruining someone else's life! As they say, have your fun and keep safe at the same time and when it blows up, silently and conveniently move on!

And maybe that's just what entitles us ordinary folks to heep scorn on these (powerful) men who fall below our standards. We know how easy it is to be sleazy, so we put them in office and pay them big bucks to be better than us!

No wonder, just the other day I made a very emphathic statement to a friend saying that men are generally promiscuous. I was promptly asked if that was my experience talking.

Forget experience, does all this and probably more not justify what I say?
And, I dont think I am wrong! :)