Bush and Don Sherwood

There's little need for this small blog to publicize a Buzzflash story, but the matter of Republican congressman Don Sherwood deserves some comment. Sherwood's former mistress has brought suit against him for physical assault, including beatings and strangulation.

And yet Bush is now stumping for Sherwood. You would think that in the wake of the Foley mess, the president would steer clear of any candidate accused of gross sexual impropriety. Yet Bush seems unconcerned.

Why don't the normal political rules apply?

Incidentally, I have no idea if the charges against Sherwood are true. The woman claims that Sherwood was a Jekyl/Hyde who would assail her without provocation, yet she waited a suprisingly long time before going to court.

One of the great fears in the BDSM world is that a disgruntled former partner will try to portray an agreed-upon fetish as an unexpected attack. Are there men and women who like to be hit and choked during sex? Yep. And as far as I am concerned, what consenting adults do in private is their own business, even if those practices come straight out of Tom Lehrer's Masochism Tango. My Libertarian instincts tend to prevail in non-economic debates.

Of course, if Sherwood's mistress convinces a jury that she was brutalized during a fit of rage, then the congressman deserves to lose his seat, perhaps his freedom, and certainly a lot of money.

Putting those concerns to one side, let's look at the matter from a practical, tactical standpoint. Bush's religious right political base does not share my Libertarian impulses. They do not countenance congressmen who keep mistresses, never mind congressmen who strangle mistresses. Why the hell would Bush appear with Sherwood in the wake of the Foley scandal? It makes no sense.