Congressman Scott DesJarlais’ belated public announcement last week that God has forgiven him for his multiple extramarital affairs and his support of abortion – he got his first wife to have two abortions, and later urged one of his several lovers, a former patient, to seek one – comes at a mighty convenient time, for him at least.
The election was four weeks ago. Had he admitted his mendacious, anti-family, pro-abortion, prevaricating and philandering ways before the election, his implied guilty plea would have carried considerably more weight. He surely would have had more on the line.
Certainly a pre-election admission about his slimy personal history and his claim that God had forgiven him would have given voters a chance to test his sincerity, and their conviction, about the veracity of his claim concerning God. It also would have given meaningful weight to his related comment that he now wants voters to accept his forgiveness and let him get on with his life as their wayward congressman.
DesJarlais clearly failed to man-up to that standard. He waited for weeks after the election to suggest that God had blessed his sins, and then he quickly wrapped his vague admission in his belief in “grace and redemption.” He added: “I think God gave me a second chance,” and he went on to suggest that only people who see “political advantage” would deny him “grace and redemption.”
We suspect voters would like to know why didn’t he come clean before the election, and give them a “second chance” to reconsider why they would want to cast their vote for him.