By Lee Pfeiffer
When former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver announced the end of their 25 year marriage last week, many people were left scratching their heads. The odd couple of American politics had seemed to enjoy a storybook romance despite the fact that is a Republican and Shriver comes from the arch-liberal Kennedy clan. Now the couple has acknowledged as fact a report in the Los Angeles Times that puts the split-up into context: Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with a long time member of the household staff a decade ago. This means that he was fully aware of the potential for scandal when he ran for governor in 2003. The one-time screen icon was elected and served two full terms as governor. Shriver only recently learned about the scandal and moved out of the house prior to the couple announcing their split. Shriver has had no comment on the situation and Schwarzenegger has made a statement acknowledging full responsibility for his actions and asked the press to respect the privacy of Shriver and their children. The woman who bore his child has not been identified except as a person who recently left the couple's employ after twenty years of service. Adding to the salacious aspects of the scandal, the woman was also married when she conceived the child and she identified her husband as the father.
This is but the latest in a seemingly endless series of bipartisan sex scandals that have plagued American politics in recent years. It specifically calls to mind the situation of one-time Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards, whose career was derailed when he fathered a child with a staffer. Schwarzenegger has only one aspect in his favor: unlike most of the politicians who are caught up in sex scandals, he never adopted a "holier-than-thou" family values persona. His long-time womanizing posed a problem during his first campaign for governor, but Shriver was crucial in convincing the public he was now a changed man. Click here for more