Mayor Bob Ryan

UPDATE, February 21, 2012: Sheboygan mayoral recall: Mayor Bob Ryan ousted from office by challenger Terry Van Akkeren
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UPDATE, September 25, 2009: 620 WTMJ interview - Sheboygan Mayor: "I Did Not Say This Disparagingly"
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UPDATE: Video of Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan's news conference, from The Sheboygan Press.

More, from WLUK:

Sheboygan's mayor says he's sorry he made sexual remarks about his wife's sister that ended up on YouTube.

...The mayor says he hasn't seen the video, but he has called his sister-in-law and apologized.

During a news conference Thursday afternoon Ryan called the incident an embarrassment.

"I have no excuse. I have no excuse whatsoever. Truthfully it was conversation between guys. I'm sure we've, and I don't put a disclaimer on it, I do not. I take full responsibility for it. However, it was conversation between men in an establishment," said Ryan.

Ryan also said he has to choose between his personal lifestyle and his job of running the city. He said he is choosing the city.

Aside from his apologies, Ryan said he is seeking professional treatment to help him in his personal life, but he would not elaborate what that problem is.

Ryan's wife also apologized, and even thanked the person who posted the video.

"I will say today that someone has finally taught him a very powerful lesson. And as strange as it may sound I want to personally thank whoever that individual is. And I can assure you that from this day forward, you won't have another opportunity," said Mary Ryan.

The mayor did question whether the timing of the video was connected to allegations he fired his human resources manager because she resisted his advances. Ryan would not comment on that incident saying it was a legal manner.

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Just about everyone has experienced that disturbing dream of being in public without their clothes on or some similar uncomfortable exposure.

Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan is living that nightmare, metaphorically speaking.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Apparently, Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan can be crude, rude and socially unacceptable.

And thanks to YouTube, you can witness his antics for yourself.

A clip of the Ryan - taken, it appears via cell phone - shows the 46-year-old mayor slurring his words and offering sexually explicit statements about one of his relatives. It does not appear that Ryan realized he was being videotaped at the unidentified tavern.

I think it can be said with metaphysical certitude that Ryan did not realize he was being videotaped.

Here's the YouTube clip.

It's not flattering, no doubt about it.

It must be terribly embarrassing for Ryan, even though it could have been much worse. This all has to be awful for Ryan's wife and sister-in-law, collateral damage.

But there is another angle to this. Someone thought it would be a good idea to post the roughly 2 minutes of video on the Internet.

That someone is definitely not a friend of Ryan.

I bet there was more video. Probably dull stuff. There is no question that this clip was picked to hurt Ryan politically, to do damage to him.

I think it would be extremely hypocritical for Leftists to jump all over this and take a holier-than-thou stance.

Spare me the sudden conversion to Puritanism.

Remember, we have to separate a person's private life from their performance on the job. The libs have lectured about that for over a decade.

The fact is the clip does not record Ryan committing a crime.

He didn't drive drunk. He didn't have a young woman in his car, drive off a bridge, fail to summon authorities and emergency personnel, and leave the scene of an accident knowing the woman was trapped in the vehicle and likely dead or dying. That would be bad. It would be a career ender, right?

Someone caught Ryan in an embarrassing candid camera moment, but applying Chappaquiddick standards, it's not even close to a career ender.

We've seen the video.

Now I'd like to know the identity of the person responsible for taking it and posting it on the Internet and spreading the word that it was available for the public's viewing pleasure.

That's an intriguing part of this story.

Today's cell phones are incredible instruments.

If phones capable of taking video had been around when John Norquist was in office, maybe the apple incident would have made it to YouTube.

But why look back?

Ryan won't be the last politician to be exposed in this manner. This is just the beginning.

Stay tuned.