Candidates Offer Views On Infidelity
For the series "Primary Questions: Character, Leadership & The Candidates," CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked the 10 leading presidential candidates 10 questions designed to go beyond politics and show what really makes them tick.
For the fifth part of the special series "Primary Questions," Couric asked the candidates: "Harry Truman said, 'A man not honorable in his marital relations, is not usually honorable in any other.' Some voters don't feel comfortable supporting a candidate who's not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand their position?"
In a new CBS News / New York Times poll, two out of three registered voters said they'd vote for a candidate even if he or she had been unfaithful in marriage, as long as they agreed on most issues. One out of three said they would not.
Also, check out the candidates' full responses to the previous questions in our "Primary Questions" video library.
Check out the complete poll results.
Couric: Harry Truman said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations, is not usually honorable in any other." Some voters don't feel comfortable supporting a candidate who's not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand their position?
Biden: Look, this is really dicey territory. Let me say it this way. I think that one's character, one's honesty, one's integrity, is a habit of the mind. I don't think people can be dishonest in one aspect of their life, and compartmentalize it and be viewed as being honest in other parts of life.
If the tendency is to cut a corner; if the tendency is not to tell the truth; the probability is, that in a moment of crisis, where that person's interests are at stake, they're likely revert to the bad tendencies. If the habit of the heart and the habit of the mind is, that whether you're dealing with promising the parking attendant you're gonna be back in 20 minutes. Or you're telling your wife something, or you are going to the nation and making a commitment.
There is -- habits are habits. And they all relate to, seems to me, how an individual values what they say as being important and relevant. Everybody makes mistakes. I don't have a -- you know, I don't pass harsh judgments on people who make -- my dad used to say, very good people do very bad things sometimes. But it's more of whether it's a pattern or a mistake.
And I think that it's awfully hard to be -- have a pattern of dishonesty in relationships, married or otherwise, and be reliable in difficult circumstances where other people are depending on the veracity of what you say.
Couric: Should marital infidelity be part of the equation, in your view, when a voter is evaluating a candidate?
Biden: I think that's for every voter to decide. Voters make -- as they should -- make decisions relative to the leaders based on their needs. The need of the voter. And if you have someone who is, you need someone to be a great general to win a battle and he is a no-good guy, you'd never wanna show up for dinner. You might very well say, I'd vote for that guy to be the general. I'd vote that person or that woman to be the -- you know, the governor, or whatever.
I think people make very rational decisions based upon whether or not the character flaw in the individual they're looking at relates to something that affects their lives or the life of their country. And for some people, the overwhelming requirement, overwhelming characteristic they want is honesty. And that would be a difficult thing for ... the voter who has that as the highest priority, to vote for someone like that.
But it's an interesting thing. I remember asking ... one of the people who's ... a smart guy, is this guy Frank Luntz, who does these groups. And I remember hearing him speak and saying that the polling data shows that the characteristic -- he asked the question generically.
What characteristic do you think the American people most look for in their ... in their president? And I immediately said, honesty, integrity. In my mind. And he said, no, no. Then he asked the audience. And they said -- the simple most important thing they're looking for is resilience. Someone who can take a "hit" and get back up and move on. That's an interesting phen -- phenomena.
I've been in public life most of my adult life, and I wouldn't have said that. But ya think about it. It's probably one of those characteristics that gives people confidence that you can lead the country through what they know are gonna be ups and downs. But, so, that's a long answer to your short question.
Couric: Yeah. That's interesting.
Biden: I think that, for some people, if honesty, if the -- if absolute integrity of the character of a person you're looking for to be president is the criteria for you, then I think it probably matters a lot. If it is determining who can best drive this train right now at this moment, it may or may not be.
Couric: Harry Truman once said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Many people feel they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Should they feel that way? Or can you understand their feeling that way?
McCain: You know ... that's an area that I never get into. Because I think that people make judgments, and you can judge other people. I'm not very good at that. And so, I think it's up to each person's personal view of the individual, and ... everybody has a different view.
I say that because you and I know that there have been some leaders in American history -- latest information about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I happen to still think that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an important president at a time in our history when we needed some courage. And so ... that's just frankly, a judgment that I leave to others.
Couric: Harry Truman said, quote, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Many people say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to their spouse. Why should they?
Richardson: Well, I think this is ... if you're -- if you're not faithful to your wife, you're not faithful to the country, to your ideals. You're not faithful to the spirit in which Americans trust their political leaders. And they expect them to ... have a sense of honor.
Nobody's perfect. I've been married to Barbara for 35 years. We've had our differences, our difficulties, but we've stayed together. But I think being faithful is ... an essential component of any relationship. It's whether a voter can trust you to ... be thinking about the common good as opposed to personal ambition or anything else.
Couric: Do you think infidelity is reason enough not to vote for someone?
Richardson: I don't think so. I think that, you know, infidelity is ... a serious problem in any marriage. But, you know, everybody sins. And it's whether you're forgiven, whether you forgive yourself, whether you have faith in God. You know, perfection ... is something that politicians, they should not stand themselves for perfection. Nobody's perfect.
Couric: Harry Truman said, quote, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Many people say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to their spouse. Why should they?
Obama: Why should they not --
Couric: Support someone who isn't faithful. In other words, people feel uncomfortable. Is that appropriate? Or, you know, how do you feel about that?
Obama: Well, I ... you know, I do think that public morality ... and private morality are not sum -- you know, or not equivalent. You know, we -- some of our greatest presidents haven't always been terrific husbands. And some who have been wonderful husbands have been rotten presidents.
So, you know, I think that other countries have typically taken a little more casual on approach when it comes to the personal lives ... of elected officials. And I think that there has to be some space for privacy. I will say this.
I do think that I'm very proud of the relationship I've got with Michelle, and the work and the value that I've put into it. And I hope it does say something about my character, the strength of my marriage. But, you know ... if I was -- had a wonderful marriage but didn't have good ideas in terms of providing health care for every American or repairing the damage that's been done to our foreign policy by George Bush, then my marriage alone shouldn't qualify me ... for being president.
Couric: Should infidelity qualify someone, or should infidel ...
Obama: Disqualify.
Couric: ... infidelity disqualify someone?
Obama: You know ... I'm very cautious about applying strict moral rules to ... or a blanket universal rule to ... people. Because, you know, I mean, there are some people who might say that the fact that, you know, I indulged in drugs when I was young, disqualifies me. I mean, there are a lot of ways that you can apply that kind of morality. What I'm always hopeful of is that people are judge our public servants based on their passion, their commitment, their public integrity, how they operate with that public trust. And, you know, if we start getting too sanctimonious about some of these issues then there aren't going to be that many people who are able or willing to serve.
Couric: Harry Truman once said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Some voters say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand or appreciate their point of view?
Clinton: Well, I can certainly understand why some people would feel that way, and ... that is their perfect right to do so. But I think ... would be a tough standard for most of American history to be able to meet, when we look at people who have made a big difference in our country.
I think there's more to someone's honor and integrity, and to their public service. I think sometimes we confuse the private and the public in ways that are not necessarily useful. So, of course, it's a deeply personal matter that I take personally. But I think on the public stage, there are a number of people who have represented our country, led our country, accomplished great achievements on behalf of our country who might have some challenges in their personal life, but have made a great contribution.
Couric: Harry Truman said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Some people don't feel comfortable supporting a candidate who has not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand their position?
Edwards: Of course. I mean, for a lot of Americans, including the family that I grew up with ... it's fundamental to how you judge people and human character: Whether you keep your word, whether you keep what is your ultimate word, which is that you love your spouse, and you'll stay with them.
Couric: Do you think ... what about people who use that as a way to evaluate a candidate? In other words, there have been a number of fine presidents according to some analysts ...
Edwards: Right.
Couric: ... who have certainly not been sort of exhibited the greatest moral character ...
Edwards: Right.
Couric: ... when it comes to infidelity ...
Edwards: Right.
Couric: I guess is what I'm getting at.
Edwards: Yes.
Couric: So how important do you think it is in the grand scheme of things?
Edwards: I think the most important qualities in a president in today's world are trustworthiness, sincerity, honesty, strength of leadership. And certainly that goes to a part of that. It's not the whole thing. But it goes to a part of it.
Couric: So you think it's an appropriate way to judge a candidate?
Edwards: Yeah. But I don't think it's controlling. I mean, I think that, as you point out, there have been American presidents that at least according to the ... stories we've all heard, that were not faithful, that were in fact good presidents. So I don't think it controls the issue. But I think it's certain ... something reasonable for people to consider.
Couric: Harry Truman said, quote, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Many people say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to their spouse. Why should they?
Romney: Well, I'm certainly faithful to my spouse, my spouse. Ann and I fell in love in high school. We really our lives revolve around each other. I'd rather be with Ann than any other person in the world. And if I have any extra time, I wanna share it with Ann. That's just the nature of ... our relationship.
I know other people who've had other circumstances. If a marriage doesn't work, if people really can't get along, if they end up really disliking each other, then I guess it's appropriate to go find a new relationship or move away from marriage. But I'd do that. I would recommend people doing that in an honorable way. And there are ways of doing that that are appropriate and ways that are not.
Couric: Well, what do you think of people who base their judgment at least partially on a candidate's ability to remain faithful to his or her spouse?
Romney: You know, I let people look at me any way they want to. I'm not gonna give advice to the American people in which aspects of a person's life they look at. After all, the president of the United States is gonna be under a microscope. He will be. The first lady will be. The whole family will be. Every mistake will be open to the world. In some respects, you respect the nation.
In some respects you represent an example to the children of America. So we're gonna get looked at in all sorts of ways. And I'm not gonna try and counsel the American people as to what to look at. I know they look at my faith, for instance. And I'm happy to have them do so. Some are critical. Some are positive. It's just part of the package. And take me as ... the whole character that I am.
Couric: Do you think that people shouldn't vote for candidates if they are -- commit adultery, for example?
Romney: I think people should be able to do what they want to do. And express their own views when they get into the ... voting booth. I'm not gonna tell them how to ... do that. And I know that people will, again, take their own counsel.
Couric: Harry Truman said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Some people don't feel comfortable supporting a candidate who hasn't been faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand their reservations?
Thompson: Yes. I can understand where that's coming from.
Couric: Do you think it's an appropriate way to evaluate a candidate?
Thompson: Everybody's gotta make up their own mind about that. I think that you can evaluate a candidate any way you want to. It's a free country. There are a lot of things that go into it. When we elect a president, we're electing the leader of the free world. We're facing tremendous challenges ahead. I don't think we've come to terms with the nature of the threats against us, really in terms ... of radical Islam and the things we've got to do and the threats to the economy with the growing retirement population, things that, of that nature.
So, nobody's perfect. Everybody has weaknesses and has made mistakes one time or another in life. But everybody's gotta decide for themselves what they want to consider that go into making up. The leader is going to have to deal with these problems of the country.
Couric: Harry Truman said, quote, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Many people don't feel comfortable supporting someone who has not remained faithful to his or her spouse.
Huckabee: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).
Couric: Can you understand their position?
Huckabee: I can. If you violate the promise that you made to the one person on earth to whom you're supposed to be closest to, and this vow was made in front of your families, your closest friends, and God, and you don't keep that, then can we trust you to keep a promise that you made to people you don't even know?
And I think that's the parallel. And that's ... the concern. Is, that a promise you make to a spouse is the most sacred one you ever make to anyone on this earth. And if ... you don't keep that, and you break that, then I think there's a good reason to be afraid that you might break other promises, because your credibility ... has really been damaged at that point.
Couric: Having said that, many people might argue, there have been a number of really fine presidents ...
Huckabee: Yeah.
Couric: F.D.R....
Huckabee: Yeah.
Couric: ... even Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy ...
Huckabee: Right. (LAUGHS)
Couric: ... just to name a few.
Huckabee: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).
Couric: And who knows about some of the others ...
Huckabee: Yeah.
Couric: ... who were not faithful to their wives.
Huckabee: I don't think it means that a person can't be a good president. Obviously, there have been some great presidents who had personal issues. I think that's going to be true of all leaders. Nobody's perfect. Nobody. Me, anybody else. We all have flaws.
One of the things that I think I've learned most about life, particularly from my experience of having been a pastor, is that the people that you think are the best people on earth? Well, they've got some secrets sitting in there, about some pretty dark spots.
And the people you think are the dregs of the earth, there's some qualities there. May not be on the surface, but they're there. The capacity to make great decisions is not always the same as the capacity to make really good personal decisions.
But it does come to the matter of, I think, whether the general population will trust you, and that if what you're saying is really true. They may believe that what you do is a good thing. It's just they don't, they may not believe that what you say is necessarily the truth.
Couric: Harry Truman once said, "A man not honorable in his marital relations is not usually honorable in any other." Some people say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who has not remained faithful to his or her spouse. Can you understand their reservations?
Giuliani: Sure, I can. Absolutely. You know, they look the every single part of us. And the ... only thing I can say to people is I'm not perfect, you know? And I've made mistakes in my life. And that ... not just in that area. In other areas and I try to learn from it. I try to -- I feel sorry about them. I try to learn from them so I don't repeat them.
Sometimes I even repeat them and ... you try again. I mean, you ... so -- I have a, maybe a more generous view of human beings and a more generous view of life. I mean, it comes from growing up as a Catholic. I mean, we're all sinners. We're all struggling. We're all trying hard. We ask for forgiveness, and then we try to improve ourselves again. And I've -- relate to other people that way. Relate to the world that way.
Couric: How important is the politician's relationship with his or her children?
Giuliani: I think it's important. And it -- but, no more important than anybody's relationship with their children. There's nothing special about politicians' relationship or a lawyer's relationship or a ... news anchors relationship with their children. Or a baseball player's relationship with their children.
It's all ... the same as far as the relationship between a ... parent and a child. Often, they're real complicated. Often, they're least understood from the outside. They're best understood from the inside. But, I don't think there's anything special about politicians' relationship with their children. Except maybe for a high profile person, and sometimes the problems that that creates.