The personal, family and ecclesial tragedy that is unfolding in Colorado in connection with evangelical pastor Ted Haggard is beyond sad.

Ted Haggard, pastor of the 14,000 member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, gave a television interview on Wednesday night where he denied even knowing Mike Jones, the gay escort who has alleged a three-year "financial arrangement" with Haggard involving both sex and methamphetamine use. Haggard alleged in the interview that this was all about politics and the pending constitutional amendments related to gays which are on the ballot in Colorado.

Jones then released two voicemails related to drug buys which experts have opined are indeed from Haggard. Last night the acting senior pastor of New Life says that Haggard has now admitted to "some indescretions" alleged by Jones, but not all of them.

Hypocracy is nothing new in the church when it comes to issues of sex and drugs. Sex scandals and drug scandals seem a dime a dozen these days in conservative political and religious circles. (It's not like they aren't also there in progressive religious and political circles, but those don't seem to make the news quite as frequently because people like Haggard make "fun" tv for producers who can show clips of their hypocritical pontification.)

Haggard's story is special largely because Haggard is a religious confidante of President Bush and has been a leader against gay marriage and gay civil unions, both of which are on the ballot in Colorado next Tuesday. Jones admits the timing of his allegations is at least in part politically motivated.

It sounds to me like there are no heroes in this story. And that goes for the media too.

I've watched every major news outlet this morning. NONE are making any real emphasis on the Meth side of this deal, when that's the only evidence that Jones has presented thus far. I'm certainly not defending Haggard, but I'm shocked that "gay sex" is all people care about. The voicemails that have been released are barely one step away from an admission of violations of state and federal drug laws.

I don't know if Haggard's commercial relationship with Jones included sex...I don't know if any sex that happened was influenced by the incredibly dangerous affects of Meth use. I CAN guess that many of the 14,000 members of the New Life Church are in great pain....I am virtually certain that a wife and five children are heartbroken...

Do I hope that this will help Coloradans see the hypocracy of the right's obsession with gay marriage constitutional amendments? Yes. Will it? Probably not. Is that my dominant reaction to this scandal? No. It's just too sad, pathetic, and tragic.

There is no schadenfreude here...just sadness and disgust.