As an outsider, I find it surprising how often US political debate descends to the level of cherchez la femme. This is particularly apparent during Presidential campaigns. Dukakis had his dangerous liaisons, Bill Clinton had Gennifer Flowers; and now John McCain is purported to have had (literally) a former female lobbyist, Vicky Iseman. Discovering that a candidate has had an amour proper is regarded as the ultimate smoking gun; one that has the potential to annihilate entire careers.

The French, of course, would laugh at this absurdity. Nicolas Sarkozy positively flaunted the gorgeous Carla Bruni (until he later ruined it by marrying her) and his people loved him for it. But in America, having, or admitting to, a brief lapse in hormonal judgment is regarded as the kiss of death. This is particularly hypocritical in a nation where a recent survey revealed that more than half of all couples in America are living together (primarily for sex) without a marriage certificate.

—Excerpted
from In Retrospect, by Katherine Luck, available at www.amazon.com.Wednesday, March 15th, 198910:50 a.m.Avalon Hospital, Seattle