Character still counts

Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.: In a national leader, character counts.
Apparently a large number of Illinoisans agree. Republican Senate nominee Jack Ryan withdrew his candidacy Friday after polls and fellow politicians said voters wouldn't go for a guy accused of taking his wife to sex clubs and pressuring her to have public sex. Ryan denied most of the allegations but did his credibility no favors when he misled key Republican leaders into believing no cause for embarrassment would leap from his divorce files.
Ryan largely blamed the media for his withdrawal, alleging it was "out of control." He specifically faulted the Chicago Tribune for suing for access to sealed files, saying it was "outrageous" for the newspaper (he did not mention WLS-TV, which also sued) to seek details in a custody dispute when the parents objected. He further argued that had he stayed in the race, "a vigorous debate on the issues" likely could not have taken place.
But to a substantial number of voters, character is also an issue, and it deserves particular attention when candidates are new to politics and less defined by experience than by their (well-funded and crafted) commercial image.
In the end, how to weigh character, and how to define it, is the voter's job. The media's is to inform.