A 2001 journal allegedly kept by Democratic Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy whose own presidential campaign was tragically ended when he was assassinated in 1968 by a Jordanian Palestinian sympathizer. It's important to note that RFK Jr. has denied that this is his diary, and we can either choose to believe him or not. Personally, I think it's highly unlikely this is a forgery. RFK is clearly worried about the journal's impact on his Presidential campaign and, unfortunately, he'd be lying about it now.

The journal was discovered by his second wife. In it, Kennedy details in heartbreaking detail his ongoing war against the demons of lust tormenting him. This detail included the many times he failed and his remorse about the 16 women he had sexual affairs with throughout the year. However, he doesn't gloat about his sexual conquests and escapades (unlike former President Trump). Instead, he writes extensively about his remorse and love for his wife and children. I'll be honest, as a conservative Catholic, I find it really hard not to sympathize with the man writing this. He is honestly struggling to overcome a personal demon and become a better man, husband, and Christian. How many men struggle with these same demons and struggle to get over their addictions to pornography; knowing full well that it's wrong, disordered, and sinful but finding themselves slipping back into the habit time and again. Kennedy has the disadvantage of being a celebrity of sorts and the child of a world-famous man; making him a target for women with their own problems with lust.

But frequently, RFK was also victorious over his temptations. He writes of praying and God giving him the strength to remain faithful. He even marks in his journal occasions where he rejected temptation with the word "Victory."

Assuming this is the real journal of RFK Jr., he should have owned up to it and his struggles with fidelity more than 20 years ago. George W. Bush did something similar when he addressed his drug and alcohol addiction; which he was forced to address because of his arrest record.

Of course, the consequences for RFK Jr. were far worse. His wife found the journal and their marriage apparently began collapsing after that. He filed for divorce in 2010, claiming his wife abused him and beat him regularly and threatened to commit suicide in front of their children. RFK Jr. claimed in the divorce that his infidelity was a coping mechanism for abuse. Then, in 2012, she committed suicide.

The New York Post suggests RFK Jr. was lying about the abusive nature of his relationship with his second wife. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that their relationship changed drastically after she found this journal and her behavior towards him became abusive after finding it.

Either way, the journal is old enough that RFK Jr. could claim it was a tragic chapter of his life.

The problem, I suspect, is that the story plays better with Christians who respect the struggle than with Democrats who are much less forgiving and have created the cancel culture that has dominated much of the last decade. That might have Kennedy playing the "deny" game instead of using the "personal growth" card.