Another Immature Middle-Aged Male Politician?

So now we have, this time in Canada, another middle-aged married male politician—53-year-old Conservative MP Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale)--exhibiting questionable personal conduct on the job with a woman who is also married, and who supposedly is just a friend. Dechert, a parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, sent problematic e-mails to Shi Rong, a reporter for the Xinhua news agency, which we are told is tied to China’s intelligence agencies. 
Critics of Dechert’s lovey-dovey e-mails are concerned Shi Rong is or might be a spy, and was using her ‘friendship’ with him to manipulate him into sharing Canadian government secrets with her. But the Chinese government claims the Dechert “affair” is a private matter and it’s “irresponsible” for the press to imply Beijing had any hand in it (Globe and Mail, Sept. 14, 2011). This 'private matter' was made public after Shi Rong's husband apparently hacked her e-mail and found Dechert's letters to his wife. 
Dechert's actions allow him to join the pantheon of middle-aged male politicians who’ve demonstrated suspect personal behavior--through electronic communication or otherwise--on the job. Almost all of the male politicians who're known to have carried on these kinds of indiscretions, in recent memory, have been in the United States; the list is too long to include here. Dechert now has the dubious distinction of putting Canada on the map in this regard--but there also could be more politicians in Canada whose indiscretions haven't yet been made public. At least Dechert admitted sending the e-mails to Shi Rong, unlike most of these politicians who typically deny and try to lie their way out of the mess they helped create.
In fairness to Dechert, at first glance the published transcripts of his e-mails to Shi Rong seem more embarrassing to him and potentially hurtful to his family, than harmful to Canada’s federal government and national security. He’s suggested the e-mails are harmless notes to a “friend” he met “while doing Chinese-language media communications. These e-mails are flirtatious, but the friendship remained innocent and simply that – a friendship. I apologize for any harm caused to anyone by this situation.” (Globe and Mail, Sept. 9, 2011).

Yet, Dechert’s e-mails to Shi Rong suggest a closer relationship than just a harmless flirtation. Or, perhaps his cooing was one-sided and the result of his overactive imagination; wishful thinking, more than anything else. Regardless, published reports say an e-mail sent to her from Dechert’s parliamentary office account on April 17, 2010 states: “You are so beautiful. I really like the picture of you by the water with your cheeks puffed. That look is so cute, I love it when you do that. Now, I miss you even more.” The e-mail was signed, Bob Dechert, MP. The sender account named was decheB9@parl.gc.ca and the recipient was shirong2011@gmail.com, which Ms. Shi has used as an e-mail account (Globe and Mail, Sept. 9, 2011).

In an e-mail from April 20, 2010 Dechert asks Shi Rong to watch CPAC, the Canadian parliamentary TV channel, that night when he would smile for her on-camera. “Dearest Rong…I enjoyed the drive (to Ottawa) by thinking of you…We will be voting at 6:30 p.m. If you have time, watch on TV or on your computer…and I will smile at you. I miss you. Love, Bob,” the e-mail concludes (Globe and Mail, Sept. 9, 2011).

Despite Dechert’s claims that his relationship with Shi Rong is innocent, former CSIS analyst J. Michael Cole says there’s good reason for concern: “A mid-level, middle-aged government official with access to information…He’s married, which creates another entry point for blackmail. What’s key is not so much the position or rank, but rather his access…His lack of judgment, using his government email . . . points to weaknesses that would have been identified by a professional intelligence agency…the Chinese are past masters at this game” (Toronto Star, Sept. 13, 2011).

In this context, The Toronto Star says Dechert, in an e-mail to Shi Rong apparently in 2010, notes “Shi interviewed officials at the Royal Bank of Canada. It’s not clear whether Dechert acted as a go-between to help Shi organize the interviews, but he asks helpfully, “Did you get enough information for your articles?” About three weeks later Xinhua promoted Shi’s article on how the Royal Bank weathered the 2008 financial crisis to emerge stronger, as an “exclusive” based on access to two top senior executives” (Toronto Star, Sept. 13, 2011).

Cole says it doesn’t matter that Dechert’s work for Foreign Affairs Minister Baird apparently pertains only to North American matters: “…There’s a lot in that portfolio that the Chinese would like to learn” (Toronto Star, Sept. 13, 2011). In this regard, an editorial in one of Canada's leading daily newspapers insists Dechert must come clean about the entire matter: "Chinese intelligence agents are said to gradually cultivate contacts with mid-level officials, first eliciting routine information, but eventually extorting genuine secrets. If such a process was in the works in this instance, Ms. Shi’s jealous husband may have done Mr. Dechert and Canada a favour by distributing his foolish e-mails...In any case, Mr. Dechert must be completely frank with the Canadian authorities...” (Globe and Mail, Sept. 13, 2011).

Presumably time will tell if Dechert did anything illegal, or put Canada’s security at risk, or committed moral blunders for which he might have to answer to his family and his own conscience, by sending his swooning e-mails to Shi Rong. But the appearance of potential or actual wrongdoing also must be considered. And it remains to be seen whether he resigns voluntarily, or stays in his present job, or is eventually asked or told to quit because of this situation. So far, Foreign Affairs Minister Baird seems unconcerned about Dechert’s e-mail behavior in this situation, even saying concerns about it are ridiculous. A published report attributed to The Canadian Press notes Dechert passed fresh security checks in March, 2011 (Sept. 14, 2011).

I've often thought questionable personal behaviors on the job--such as sending risqué e-mails, photos, and text messages or worse--by middle-aged, usually-married male politicians seem self-destructive: the politician could potentially lose his career, reputation, livelihood, family, and friends if the behavior is discovered; but he does it anyway. And this suggests these particular male politicians might be emotionally immature. Through their questionable or bad personal behaviors on the job they seem naive, unthinking, and/or arrogant; perhaps believing they're invincible and entitled to do what they want with impunity; and not thinking about possible consequences, or thinking they won’t get caught, or wanting to get caught. 

In short, the male politicians who behave in these ways seem like egocentric teenagers. The Free Dictionary, online, defines egocentric, in part, this way: “a self-centered person with little regard for others; regarding everything only in relation to oneself; self-centred; selfish” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/egocentric). A key difference between these male politicians and teenagers, however, is teenagers, because of their age and emotional development, are supposed to be and expected to be egocentric. 

Does national politics, for some reason, specifically attract a number of emotionally immature and egocentric men? After some middle-aged, married male politicians get elected at the federal and national level, do they think and believe they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and with whomever they want because of their perceived power, position, and money?

I realize MP Bob Dechert, through his e-mails to Shi Rong, might be guilty only of non-criminal stupidity, carelessness, unprofessionalism, and indiscretion, such as: 1) not thinking or caring about possible harm to Canada by cozying up to a Chinese reporter who could be a spy—even if she’s not; 2) acting like a love-sick schoolboy instead of a mature responsible politician; 3) disregarding any shame or hurt he might inflict on his family and friends if and when his e-mails became public; and 4) either not thinking about the possible consequences of his behavior, or thinking he'd never get caught, or not caring about any embarrassment, shame or job loss he might potentially incur if he did get caught.

Do Canada’s Members of Parliament get any kind of training and firm advice about how to conduct themselves when communicating electronically with others, male or female, in their professional capacities as MPs? Clearly, some kind of training seems called for since, at least in Dechert’s case, we can’t rely on his common sense and maturity to prevail.