Dann the man

When I worked at The Washington Times, my colleagues and I would sometimes gather at the Dubliner for after-work refreshments.

During one visit to the Dubliner a couple of years ago, we found ourselves talking to Marc Dann, a Democrat who was then a candidate for attorney general of Ohio. Dann, who was visiting DC for some kind of conference, seemed like a nice guy, easygoing and reasonable.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw this story:

Ohio's attorney general admitted an extramarital affair with an employee Friday, soon after three of his aides were fired or forced out after an investigation found evidence of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
Leader of both parties were critical of Attorney General Marc Dann, one of several Democrats swept into office in 2006 after a scandal over state investments sullied Republicans. He apologized to his wife and supporters but promised not to step down.
"I'm embarrassed. I have taken responsibility for what I've done," he told reporters.
Dann had lived with two of the aides at an apartment during much of his first year in office and some of the alleged harassment by one of the aides occurred there.
"I did not create an atmosphere in my public and personal life that is consistent with the important mission of the Office of Attorney General ...," Dann said. "I am heartbroken by my failure to recognize the problems being created and by my failure to stop them."
Ohio GOP deputy chairman Kevin DeWine called for Dann's resignation, saying he turned the attorney general's office into a "raunchy frat pad." . .
Dann, 46, said the affair was consensual and refused to disclose the name of the employee. He said the relationship came during a difficult time in his marriage, but that it "was wrong and I deeply regret it."
Dann's scheduler, Jessica Utovich, with whom he had a close relationship in which they often used profanity, nicknames and teasing when e-mailing each other, resigned voluntarily, said Tom Winters, first assistant attorney general. He did not give a reason.
When interviewed for the sexual harassment investigation conducted by assistant attorneys general, Dann said Utovich stayed overnight at an apartment he shared with the two aides for a variety of reasons that he would not discuss.

You might think that a Democrat elected because of Republican scandals would have been careful to avoid any scandalous behavior of his own.

What's really sad is that Dann's alleged paramour, Jessica Utovich, wasn't even all that hot. Dick Feagler of Cleveland Scene isn't impressed, either:

Back in our day, if an attorney general got caught with an aide wearing pajamas, we wouldn’t have called it a sex scandal. We wouldda called it a preseason game with the babysitter, like playing the Jets and you’re only using your third-stringers. And if it didn’t involve a bearded lady from the circus or a truck load of cod, we wouldn’t be yammering about it in the newspaper, that’s for sure…
Back in my day, it wasn't a sex scandal if the dame couldn't sing along with Connie Francis. Why, back in my day, every attorney general had a trollop parked somewhere. They had names like Patty and Mary Jean, and they were gonna attend secretarial school someday.

Clearly, Feagler is onto something. America has seen a steady decline in the quality of political mistresses since the days of Wayne Hays, whose bombshell secretary Elizabeth Ray famously declared: "I can't type. I can't file. I can't even answer the phone."

If a politician is going to destroy his career over a tramp, he ought to get his money's worth, like Elliott Spitzer did. What's the point of sinking your political prospects and wrecking your marriage over a mousy-looking brunette like Jessica Utovich? That's not just a scandal, it's an embarrassment.

For crying out loud, you're the No. 3 man in state government, and that's the best you can do for a mistress? I'm disappointed, Marc.