John Ensign resigned his position today as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. It is the first hit for Ensign following his admission of an extramarital affair. The affair was with a campaign staffer, Cynthia Hampton, whose husband was a top aide in Ensign's Senate office. Scuttlebutt abounds over why Ensign went public. Hampton's husband may have asked for hush money, according to reports.

Ensign (R-Nev.) is a leading social conservative voice in Congress. When he ran against Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as a House member in 1998, Ensign said President Bill Clinton should resign for his affair with a White House intern. More recently, Ensign pushed for Larry Craig (R-Idaho) to resign from the Senate following revelations of Craig's marital indiscretions, involving some disorderly conduct in an airport restroom.

Now Ensign must reckon with whether he should follow his own advice. Today's news may only be the beginning.

Little sullies, and sometimes sinks, politicians more than hypocrisy.