Should an affair outside of marriage disqualify a candidate for public office?"

I think it really depends on what political office he is running for. I think if the candidate runs for president. Than yes, I think that should disqualify him as a candidate. Why? Because our president needs to be held to a higher standard. If a president will cheat on his own wife......what else would he be cheating or lying about? Sorry I could never trust a cheater. I sure don't want someone like that in public office such as the presidency.

IF that happened my friend that would disqualify most politicians! And we'd have a shortage of them for sure, it seems so commonplace nowadays for politicians to have affairs and most politicians are econimical with the truth, so it's taken for gospel that most will stray and I can't see them being disqualified. It's a shame isn't it that affairs are accepted now and lying is just shrugged off, it becomes yesterdays news and as they say there's no such thing as bad publicity!

No, it's a guys first instinct to try to lie his way out of it, and I don't think that means he would necessarily lie to his constituents. After all, he has to live with the wife! I don't think he should be diqualified, but if voters want to hold his personal life against him, then that will show at election time!

I think what they do when they are not at work, is nothing to me if it is not illegal.

If they have been lying about anything it does not make them trustworthy. John Edwards comes to mind as a hypocrite. However the fact that it was an affair then I think it should be his wife that metes out the punishment, but not that he should automatically be disqualified for public office. IMO it would be up to the voters to decide if they wanted to vote for an untrustworthy liar in public office.

You know I think I would be more likely to trust and believe someone who made mistakes and admitted them. Someone who didn't make excuses or try to cover things up and was just honest and felt they learned from thier mistakes. Haha I would be more wary of a person who "never" made mistakes,.. I also think we gain knowledge from our mistakes so even though we seen such things as negative..there can be a positive side.. I also have to look at the person as a whole. What are thier abilities? Maybe there are people out there who would have done great in office but decided not to run knowing they had mistakes in thier past and knowing that because of that a lot of people wouldn't even consider them.. If I am having a very delicate brain surgery and I have the choice between the world's finest surgeon who made some serious mistakes in his private life Or an average doctor who never has... I'd choose the first!!