A different sort of wide stance, but still very Republican.

Joe My God reports Senator John Ensign admitted to an affair with a campaign aide whose husband worked in his office and tried to shake him down:

Sources said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money – at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public. In his Las Vegas press conference, Ensign declined to give specifics about the woman involved but did say she and “her husband were close friends and both of them worked for me.”

Ensign has routinely voted against the interests of LGBT people on all issues: DOMA, hate crimes, you name it. And those with long memories will recall that Ensign famously called on Bill Clinton to resign over the Monica Lewinsky affair, calling it "an embarrassment to the country," and turning the scandal into a regular speaking point in his campaign.

UPDATE: From Sen. Ensign's official Senate page, dated 2004.

Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign took to the floor of the United States Senate today to defend the sanctity of marriage and urge passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment Act.

“Marriage recognizes the ideal of a father and mother living together to raise their children,” Ensign said. “Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded. For those who say that the Constitution is so sacred that we cannot or should not adopt the Federal Marriage Amendment, I would simply point out that marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation. Marriage, as a social institution, predates every other institution on which ordered society in America has relied.”

Ensign, in his comments, noted that Nevadans had amended the state constitution to guarantee the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Ensign emphasized the need to preserve the will of Nevadans who voted overwhelmingly to preserve marriage as well as the need to preserve the will of the majority of Americans.

Max Blumenthal says Ensign has even more words to eat:

In September 2007, Ensign attempted to leverage his power as chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee to force then-Senator Larry Craig to resign after he pleaded guilty in August 2007 to soliciting sex from an undercover cop in a men’s restroom. However, Ensign made no such demand of Senator David Vitter, the Louisiana Republican who in July 2007 admitted to an affair with a high-priced prostitute. On ABC’s This Week, Ensign tried to explain his confusing standards, claiming that Craig “admitted guilt. That is a big difference between being accused of something and actually admitting guilt…David Vitter never did that. Larry Craig did.”

(Perhaps he missed Vitter’s press conference admitting guilt?)

Thanks in part to Ensign’s maneuvering, Craig retired in disgrace while Vitter remained in the Senate, speaking triumphantly at a giant anti-abortion rally on the National Mall in January. “We’re going to win this fight!” Vitter told the crowd.

Since Ensign’s coup de grace, Vitter and a phalanx of Republican senators wait to offer their latest fallen comrade some comfort. They still need him, after all. Their culture war must go on.

TPM's feeling snarky:

Guess That Didn't Pan Out

06.16.09 -- 7:52PM

By Josh Marshall

Turns out that Sen. Ensign (R) is a longtime member of "Promise Keepers."

Seems like he may have stumbled a bit on promise 3 and promise 4.

Crooked Timber bats cleanup:

John Ensign on Marriage

by HARRY on JUNE 16, 2009

Its good to see that John Ensign is consistent on the issues: voting for a constitutional ban on marriage for same sex couples, and taking direct action against the institution of marriage for opposite-sex couples.