Courtesy of Fark, here's an interesting article in The Slate about the hypothetical/actual press reporting of John Kerry's hypothetical/actual liasons with plausible interns. I like this one:

Selling Sleaze: A User's Guide - Ten ways to rationalize the publication of infidelity rumors. By Timothy Noah: "4) It's a story about financial impropriety, maybe. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros' affair with Linda Jones became the public's business because he paid her more than $250,000 while the taxpayers were paying his salary. Apparently the taxpayers didn't want him spending his salary on a sexy blonde; they wanted him to spend it on a subscription to National Journal. Cisneros resolved this by paying $100,000 to the government. If this can be sold as a financial scandal, anything can."