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August 13, 2004
Even The Gray Lady Isn't Fooled By McGreevey's Martyr Complex

New Jersey Governor James McGreevey resigned yesterday, announcing that despite his marriage and two children, he is a "gay American" who had an affair with another man. Rather than withstand the notoriety, he claimed to resign in order to give his family some peace and allow New Jersey to move forward, even without him at the helm. Gay rights activists immediately proclaimed McGreevy a martyr, and bloggers like Kos felt free to insult the straights:

This is a shame. F**k the people who force people like McGreevey to hide in a closet.

It didn't take long for the larger story to come out and make Kos look like an idiot. Even the New York Times editorial page knew better, and today they explain that McGreevey's resignation had little to do with his sexual orientation:

Yesterday, New Jersey's governor, James McGreevey, described his coming to grips with his sexual orientation with uncommon grace and dignity, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the private torment that can accompany a public life lived in the closet. "My truth is that I am a gay American,'' he said. If that had been the beginning and the end of the story, we would be celebrating Mr. McGreevey's candor, not assessing his resignation. But the story - like Mr. McGreevey's statement - was incomplete.

The governor's announcement was reportedly driven by the threat of a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former aide, Golan Cipel. Mr. McGreevey, who has two children from his two marriages and whose wife stood next to him during his press conference, acknowledged that he had committed adultery with another man. He did not say that the man in question had worked for his administration.

Gay or straight, that kind of relationship raises troubling questions, apart from the issue of whether it was consensual. Mr. Cipel was originally appointed as the governor's homeland security adviser, a job for which he had no discernable qualifications. If Mr. McGreevey put someone in that critical post because of a personal relationship, that would be an outrage, regardless of his sexual orientation.

Perhaps Kos would like to explain to us how he figures that the Times, with its sympathy to gay-rights issues, qualifies as one of the "people who force [gays] to live in the closet". Or, perhaps, Kos has not yet recovered from his chronic case of cerebralrectalitis.

In either case, it's apparent that McGreevey had a lot more going on in the state capitol than an affair with a man -- he abused his power by getting his lover a position for which that person was eminently unqualified. And the fact that the position headed up New Jersey's homeland-security efforts, and that McGreevey was told by DHS officials that Cipel could not get the necessary clearances and McGreevy still refused to replace him, not only speaks to personal corruption but a tremendous lack of judgement and a selfishness that borders on the absurd. After all, many of those that lost loved ones in the World Trade Center live in the Garden State. How do they feel about having their security traded off for a little nooky?

Under these circumstances, McGreevey should have been ridden out of town on a rail even if he was as straight as Casanova. McGreevey took one last opportunity to boost himself with lies and deceit. For those who took the bait, shame on yourselves. Even the Times knew better than that.

Sphere It Digg! View blog reactions
Posted by Ed Morrissey at August 13, 2004 10:17 AM

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» It's My Resignation and I'll Resign When I Want To from Josh Ferguson
While it's perfectly legal to resign whenever he wants to resign, if he's going to do it, the sooner the better. It doesn't matter what party he were from, I think that playing politics with your resignation date is not looking out for the best inter... [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2004 11:28 AM

» MCGREEVEY'S CORRUPTION IS THE PROBLEM from The Galvin Opinion
We told you so: The Galvin Opinion has commented before on McGreevey's crooked deals. This article, below, details the shameful administration of this Democratic governor. [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2004 11:59 AM

» McGreevey: The Virtue Filter Fails from DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS - Culture Wars & The Christian Worldview
We're hearing that the governor is "courageous" for coming out of the closet. That may be, but he is a sniveling coward in the face of real moral choices. The dilemma: protect the state of New Jersey, or satisfy his sexual mores. McGreevey chose t... [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2004 12:38 PM

» mcgreevey resignation from infidel cowboy
If the cause for resignation was homosexuality and McGreevey were brave, he would stay in office instead of running from anticipated pressure from hate groups. Being gay isn't a disqualification for office. If the cause were infidelity, hardly anyone w... [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2004 12:56 PM

» It Ain't About Being Gay from LeatherPenguin
If you knew anything about New Jersey politics, you'd heard the rumors for years. You also knew he was gonna get his head handed to him in the next election,... [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2004 10:58 PM



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