The last several days have been prime time for dirty laundry... but these revelations really should have been no surprise. Many folks who rise to the very top tiers in business, entertainment, sports, and yes, politics... are Type A high achievers... they love a challenge and when they see something that interests them, they go after it.

Unfortunately, that sometimes means these individuals find themselves involved in sexual relationships with people other than his or her spouse... and once the story leaks out, then we are treated to countless hours of television coverage and gossip. Ah the memories... Bill Clinton, John Edwards, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford... and now Tiger Woods and Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

For Tiger, his wealth will help clear a lot of public landmines, and even though he now officially falls into the sleazebag category with new bimbos popping up almost daily, Tiger is still a very talented golfer and will be able to continue his career.

For Glenn Richardson, he was able to nimbly keep his problems under wraps for the past two years, until his ex-wife... the former Susan Brown of Cartersville, dropped some bombshells last week during a television interview that left Richardson's political allies with no choice except to force the Speaker's gavel from his hands.

If Georgia's Republican State House members quickly put new leadership in place, and that means leaders without skeletons in their own closets... then Richardson's fall from grace will probably end up being a positive for the GOP controlled House. However, if they make the wrong choices, we could see a very fragmented Republican caucus, a disgruntled electorate, and a media motivated to expose things... and with the state still facing huge drops in tax revenue, it could get ugly fast.

Under a deal worked out last week, Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter will replace Richardson as House Speaker... but within 24 hours of that announcement, stories were already circulating implicating Burkhalter in some potential ethics problems of his own involving Glenn Richardson's alleged affair with an Atlanta Gas Light lobbyist.

Several Republican house members are now stepping forward, calling for the GOP House caucus to elect a new Speaker, possibly someone other than Burkhalter, before the legislature begins its 2010 session in January. And one of the names being floated as a potential speaker is that of Bartow County State Representative Barry Loudermilk.

Only in his fifth year in the legislature, Loudermilk would have to be considered something of a long shot, however, with a GOP caucus looking for someone honorable... someone with no skeletons in the closet, and a leader who knows and understands the U.S. Constitution and how it relates to state government... Barry fits the bill. And if the stars aren't aligned for him this time, you can be sure Barry Loudermilk is destined for bigger things in the near future.

That's my opinion, we welcome yours. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next Monday. For a complete transcript of this morning's comments or to replay the audio, go to NewsTalk1270.com (End of complete transcript of commentary that aired on NewsTalk AM 1270 - WYXC at 7:35 AM Monday, December 7, 2009)