John Ensign: Bill Clinton's Transgression Was Worse

Both Sen. John Ensign and President Bill Clinton cheated on their wives. Clinton also lied in a deposition about it. As we all remember, in 1998 Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for his transgression. Ensign, then a congressman, voted to impeach because in "an embarrassing moment for the country," the president had "no credibility left."

Lamenting the effect of the matter on the country, the Congressman told the Las Vegas Review Journal, "The honorable thing for him to do is to resign."

At events around Reno on Wednesday, where the senator made his first public appearances in the state since admitting his infidelity at a June press conference, the word "honorable" did not come up. Even though Ensign lied to his wife, his chief of staff, his constituents and, apparently, himself, he plans to stay in the Senate.

Offering another apology for his affair with the wife of a former aide, Ensign told the Associated Press that he plans on fulfilling his term. In an interview, he said the distinction between Clinton's infidelity and his own is a legal one. Clinton's acts were "a felony" while his own behavior was simply "a mistake."

Ensign's current term runs through 2012. He plans to campaign for reelection.