Politicians never seem to learn — especially the ones who live in glass houses and believe no one can see in. The latest casualty of that delusion is Louisiana Sen. David Vitter. As a staunch defender of the barricades of sexual morality, he has championed abstinence education, family values and especially the sacred marriage vow between a man and a woman. As a member of the House of Representatives, in 1999 he was quick to denounce Bill Clinton for his peccadillo with Monica Lewinsky. Now Vitter finds himself exposed — but is still in denial. The Washington Madam had his name in her "secret" book of clients, and another former prostitute claims a relationship with Vitter. While admitting that he "sinned," Vitter says he didn't have sexual relations with any of the "escorts." While it's not impossible that he may have been holding Bible class over the phone or at a brothel, his denial does challenge credibility. But it's a familiar pattern. Remember Bill Clinton said, "I didn't have sex with that woman." Which of course was true, if you accept that oral sex is not the real thing and doesn't count.

At the time of the Clinton escapade two of his most outspoken critics soon found themselves exposed. Sen. Henry Hyde, head of the Judiciary Committee, who was leading the Senate posse looking to politically lynch Clinton, admitted, when confronted with evidence, that he had had an extramarital affair a few decades earlier when he was age 45. Hyde dismissed his affair as a "youthful indiscretion." Yet he did not apply the same standard to the youthful president who was 53 at the time of his indiscretion. At the same time, Rep. Bob Livingston, who was earmarked to become speaker of the House, was another member of the Clinton pursuit posse. Unfortunately for him, his affair was revealed when publisher Larry Flint's offer of a million dollars for information about Republican sexual misconduct paid off. Livingston not only lost the House leadership position, he resigned from Congress — ironically, Vitter replaced him in a special election.

Now if it weren't for the hypocrisy of these events, the fact of infidelity should come as no surprise. A few years before Clinton took office I wrote a book on infidelity, along with Dr. Marcella Bakur Weiner - "Stalemates: The Truth About Extramarital Affairs." In our research we were astonished at the extent, variety and clever deceptions of infidelity. The title of another book on the subject by Frank Pitman perhaps sums it up: "Private Lies."

Every smart gambler knows to avoid low-percentage bets that defy statistics. Taking a holier-than-thou stance on infidelity runs a distinct risk to the accuser — if you pay attention to the statistics.

According to considerable research, there's a consensus that a good part of the population — as much as 50 percent of married men and women have cheated. And many, if not most, of those are part of the "moral majority" - remember, 90 percent of the U.S. population is religious and pray, according to pollsters. So even if every atheist and agnostic were committing adultery (not likely), that would still place 40 percent or more of the cheaters in the pious camp, giving them much to pray about. This observation could provide rich fodder for Sunday sermons addressing the flock rather than "them others" who are targeted as the enemies of high morality.

The figures for men historically have been greater than for women — although, some time ago feminist writer Shere Hite claimed — based on her "research" — that 75 percent of married women have cheated. This is probably an exaggeration traced to the non-representative population that she surveyed. But it does reflect the historic pattern that infidelity increases when social conditions provide the opportunity. According to sociologists, the Industrial Revolution gave infidelity a big boost by moving men into the work world away from the family farms to the anonymity of cities. Now that most women are in the workforce with similar freedoms, they may be catching up on affairs. As comedian Rodney Dangerfield put it: "I asked my wife to have sex. She said she already gave at the office." Then if you include those, like former President Jimmy Carter, who haven't committed actual infidelity but have done so "in their heart" (meaning in fantasy), we're talking about almost everyone.

No wonder, therefore, that it's getting increasingly difficult to run someone out of town because of infidelity, or to find an enthusiastic lynch mob. Most of the "man and woman in the street" comments about the Vitter affair have been shrugs of the shoulder — the sheriff and the hangman are a lonely lot.

It may be true that there are three kinds of lies — lies, damned lies, and statistics. But in this instance, statistics may be telling the truth. Yet some still refuse to pay attention to the risks of exposure, as our electronic shadows in the age of technology get longer and almost impossible to conceal. And remember, there's another side to cheating beyond public humiliation: the often unpredictable and potentially devastating impact on family, children and personal relationships. But that's a complex story for another day.

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Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches psychology and leads the Spiritual Forum at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio, he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major publications. He is also the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India. His book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free" will be published by Rowman and Littlefield in October 2007. His email address is {email OmniCns@aol.com}OmniCns@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Bernard Starr.