Much of what we learned in Cynthia McFadden's report on the sex scandal surrounding Senator Ensign was salacious detail.

That Doug Hampton says he first confronted Senator Ensign about the affair with his wife at a Christmas party with both families in attendance.

That Ensign made a tearful confession that night, but Hampton says he learned the affair was still continuing when he borrowed the senator's phone on a trip to Iraq and discovered an incriminating text message.

That kind of detail will keep tongues wagging, but the most important thing we learned from the interview is Hampton's determination to bring Ensign down, even if it means admitting wrong doing himself

Hampton charges the Senator knew he was violating ethics laws while allegedly personally lining up lobbying clients for Hampton after firing him as his administrative assistant.

"Why would anyone hire Doug Hampton, if they didn't think they were getting access to Senator Ensign's office?" That's the only reason they would hire him."

"The real problem is the Hampton comments are so self-destructive says Truckee Meadows Community College political scientist Fred Lokken. "He's clearly a man with an agenda."

And the apparent depth of that determination is not good news for the senator. "Politically in a sense, it's his worst nightmare because it doesn't go away," says another longitme Nevada political observer, Eric Herzik of UNR.

Herzik and Lokken say Ensign can survive, but the scandal has diminished his effectiveness as a senator and a leader of his party.

"This guy was one of the few favored politicians in the state. He's one of the few that had an over 50 percent favorable rating from the public. That's disappeared," says Herzik.

"He really can't be much of a force raising money for the party, which he could do in the past. It's just one more thing the Republicans can't talk about. You have a wounded governor, a wounded senator. It's just not good news."

"With Mr. Hampton and others constantly trying to bring this up to the press to embarrass the senator doesn't play well. It diminishes the party and becomes a liability," adds Lokken.

And, he adds, it's coming at a time when the Nevada GOP is in disarray.

"The Republican party is something of a train wreck. It is lacking in state leadership, focus and direction. it doesn't seem to be able to register voters. it doesn't seem to be able to indicate what it stands for, so the Republican party in the state of Nevada has ample problems, of which John Ensign is only a small part."

Hampton says the reason he gave last night's interview is that as near as he can tell no one is investigating the potential ethics violations of the alleged severance check paid to Hampton and his family or efforts to line up lobbying clients for his former friend.

Those investigations may still come, but at this point most of the ongoing damage is coming from Hampton himself.

Senator Ensign issued a statement saying he wished he could publicly respond to Hampton's allegations, saying they are full of "half-truths and "untruths".

He repeated his claim that he has violated no laws or ethics rules and would cooperate with any investigation.