So once upon a time, there was a senator.

And this senator was from a rich and very well-connected family.

He was a real smooth talker. He was handsome-ish.

Kind of, depends on your taste.

He was very ambitious, even for a senator.

I should mention that he wasn't all that successful as a senator in political

terms. For example, he had this leadership job in the 2008 election where he was responsible

for all the Republican Senate campaigns that year. That election year, under his leadership,

Republicans lost eight seats in the Senate, which is a lot.

So maybe not the best record, but still, you know, he had been in leadership, and he thought

very highly of his own prospects in politics.

Right after presiding over that huge loss in the Senate for his party, he went right to

Iowa, started giving speeches in Iowa, because he very clearly was planning

on a presidential run of his own.

So this guy is from money.

He's got a good head of hair.

He was youngish for a senator.

He was telegenic-ish, very confident, very ambitious. And he was also stooping one of his own

employees. And that poor decision started a cascade of terrible and increasingly amazing

decisions and ultimately consequences for him and his career.

So this senator, John Ensign, he is sleeping with a woman who works for him in the Senate.

John Ensign himself is married.

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