Does Iris Robinson affair prove women no different than men?

By: Niall O'Dowd | Published Thursday, January 14, 2010, 2:30 PM | Updated Friday, September 9, 2011, 9:27 PM

What is striking about the Iris Robinson affair is how sordid it is.

We are used to powerful males -- such as Bill Clinton and Silvio Berlusconi and John Edwards, to name a few -- who become embroiled in nasty little flings which end up in grief and bawdy headlines.

Perhaps with a woman as the aggressor -- and the title "Celtic Cougar" describes Mrs. Robinson to a T -- things would be different?

Eh no, not exactly. Even with the woman making the moves, the sordid nature of this latest scandal if anything surpasses anything that Bill, Silvio and Johnny were up to.

They at least were not judgmental about their fellow humans who found themselves pursuing sex lives as gays or whatever. Robinson's holier than thou musings about gays were vicious and close to hate speech.

Robinson was also skirting the pedophilia range. Her lover was 19, barely over the age of consent, and she had known him since he was nine. He was the son of someone she had also been sleeping with, according to newspaper accounts, and she tried to bully him to return money she said he owed him. The poor lad had to fake testicular cancer to get away from her.

So there is no great existential lesson here, Madame Bovary moments here, no greater purpose -- just a sordid little affair that collapsed with tears all around.

As the aggrieved spouse, Peter Robinson hardly matched Hillary Clinton's dignity, but he did put up a brave face. Like Hillary, he will stand by his spouse by all accounts -- provided there are no more revelations.

I wouldn't bet on that.