SF Mayor Seeks Alcohol Rehab

In what has become a frequent refrain involving public scandals, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that he will be seeking counseling for alcohol problems:

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Gavin Newsom said Monday that he plans to seek counseling for alcohol use, following the disclosure that he had an affair with the wife of a trusted aide.

Newsom, 39, said that while "my problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment," he had stopped drinking and wanted professional help staying sober.

"Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life," Newsom said in a statement.

The language he used is surprisingly familiar with similar statements made by President Bush at about the same time in his life when he decided to quit alcohol consumption. I'm guessing the media will treat Newsom's past drinking much more generously than they treated Bush's.