Sexuality as strategy
Not since Al Gores memorable kiss with his wife, Tipper, at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles has sexuality been as prominent an issue in a presidential campaign. With several older men (and their younger wives) among the current hopefuls, voters may ask, for example, how sexy a first lady should be. (Stephen Savoia / AP)
Presumed Republican hopeful Fred Thompson and his wife, Jeri, attend a fundraiser in Richmond, Va., in June. Commentators have taken note of their age difference -- 24 years -- as well as her fashion sense, somewhat daring by political standards. (Steve Helber / AP)
Some observers have questioned whether politicians’ public displays of marital tenderness are spontaneous or calculated, as when then-President Clinton and his wife, Hillary, enjoyed a dance on the beach in the Virgin Islands in 1998. That will live in my gallery of infamy, social critic Camille Paglia said. (Paul J. Richards / AFP)
