Political Sex Scandals and Books Written About Them

Bill Clinton will probably always be remembered most for his charisma and Monica Lewinsky. I had the opportunity to shake President Clinton's hand in Anchorage, Alaska when on special detail in the US Air Force. It is true, he is very charismatic. With a single handshake, that was the first impression I got, and I didn't even care much for him. While performing as an intern at the White House, it was discovered she was performing lewd acts with the 42^nd President in the Oval Office, among other places. Clinton did not succeed in convincing America when he looked into the camera and said the infamous, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." I feel bad for Monica, she was young and we all make mistakes but this political sex scandal will be her legacy. One of the most talked about sex scandals, here are some books about it: One Scandalous Story: Clinton, Lewinsky, and Thirteen Days That Tarnished American Journalism by Marvin Kalb; Monica's Story by Andrew Morton; and, Monica Speaks by Monica Lewinsky.

John F. Kennedy supposedly had many affairs: Marilyn Monroe, Inga Arvad, Angie Dickinson, Gene Tierney, and Judith Campbell Exner. A popular and influential US President, remembered for Marilyn Monroe and praised for his handling of the Cuban Crisis. Marilyn was said to have had affairs with both Bobby and Jack in, The Kennedy Men: Three Generations of Sex, Scandal And Secrets by Nellie Bly. Another book, Marilyn Monroe: As It Was, As It Happened, by writer Keith Badmanclaims Marilyn only had a one-night stand with Jack.

Dwight Eisenhower, aka "Ike" was the 34^th US President, remembered also as a general of WWII. During the war in Europe, Eisenhower allegedly began an affair with his driver, Kay Summersby. Supposedly, Ike planned to divorce his wife, Mamie, and marry Summersby. Kay Summersby wrote a controversial book, in 1975, titled Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Another book on this and other political sex scandals, The Character Factor: How We Judge America's Presidents, is written by James P. Pfiffner.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32^nd US President, was in office from 1933 - 1945 (four terms)! Obviously, a great leader, he led the US through Pearl Harbor, the great depression and the New Deal. FDR: A Biography

by Ted Morgan discusses FDR's affair with Lucy Mercer, which wife, Eleanor, discovered in 1918. FDR agreed to end the affair, but the romance sparked again while he was president. Mercer was with Roosevelt when he died, but this fact and the affair was kept hidden until much later.

Warren Harding, the 29^th President of the United States, is known as one of the worst presidents. Harding reportedly had a mistress, Carrie Phillips, who took $20,000 in hush money from the GOP while Harding ran for president. Another mistress, Nan Britton, bore Harding's child in 1919, while Harding was Senator. After Harding became president, he continued to see Britton, sometimes in a small anteroom just off the Oval Office. Nan Britton wrote bestseller, The President's Daughter, telling all.

Woodrow Wilson succeeded Warren Harding as US President. His second term took place during WWI. His political sex scandal began when he engaged Edith Galt one year after becoming widowed. The public viewed this as disrespectful to his late wife. Some gossiped that he had been having an affair and murdered his wife. President Wilson married Edith that December. Fall from Grace: Sex, Scandal and Corruption in American Politics from 1702 to Present by Shelley Ross, in Chapter 14, details Woodrow's love scandals.

Grover Cleveland, the 22^nd and 24^th US President, is the only U.S. president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms! He is known for his honesty, independence and liberalism. Ten years before Cleveland's presidency, store clerk Maria Halpin named him the father of her illegitimate son. Cleveland didn't dispute the charge, and the child was quietly adopted out. During Cleveland's second campaign, in 1884, a Buffalo newspaper dug up the story. It was then that Cleveland remarkably admitted to being the child's father. Books on the sex scandal include: Grover Cleveland by Rita J. Markel and That's Not in My American History Book: A Compilation of Little Known Events ...by Thomas Ayres.

Thomas Jefferson's sex scandal of 1789, involved fathering at least one child with one of his house-slave's, Sally Hemings, before becoming the 3^rd President of the United States. Jefferson is remembered for his strong moral character and this sex scandal remains controversial,even with DNA evidence. Two books with very different opinions on the sex scandal are: In Defense of Thomas Jefferson: The Sally Hemings Sex ScandalThe Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed. Another book on the FDR sex scandal is The Slave Children of Thomas Jefferson by Samuel H. Sloan.
by William Hyland, Jr. and

Presidential Hopefuls

John Edwards, a US Senator, former presidential candidate, and John Kerry's running mate had a supportive wife (with terminally-ill cancer) at home, who is also the mother of his four children. She was devastated to discover John was not only having an affair with his videographer but had impregnated his mistress as well. Elizabeth Edwards has written a book, entitled Resilience. Andrew A. Young has signed a book deal with St. Martin's Press, which is anticipated to be a revealing book about the former presidential candidate and his affair.

Eliot Spitzer, ex-New York Governor and another presidential hopeful, was caught by the IRS when he wired money to a prostitution ring. Spitzer resigned due to fear of impeachment. Like many other politicians involved in sex scandals, he too has a family. There is no way I would stand by my man after something like this! Read former escort boss, Kristin Davis's, The Manhattan Madam, which details her dealings with Spitzer .