Divorce American-Style

Political observers are claiming that news of Russ Feingold's divorce disqualifies him for a run at the Presidency in 2008. If that's true we've just excluded 50% of the population from competing in politics.

I'm divorced. I don't regret getting married, having that experience, and moving on from it. What that has to do with my political views is beyond me. Perception and politics frequently intersect, but the President isn't a robot that must conform to a rigid specified standard. Presidents should be allowed to be divorced, have beards, be under six feet tall, be female, be black, be whatever the hell they'd like to be. The only prerequisites in my mind are their policies and their competency.

I think after the Schiavo fiasco, Americans are far more likely to be receptive to an argument to keep private business private. Digby agrees that appeals to individual liberty and a "mind your own business" stance on social issues is ready for prime time. It has us in the state house in Montana, and can get us there in every other red state before long. If Feingold wants to run for President he would be an excellent test of the "mind your own business" strategy.