I have featured very little about the so-called scandal involving Rep. Anthony Weiner. To be quite frank, I view it as much ado about nothing. While his actions certainly are an embarrassment for himself and his family, there has been no indication that he did anything illegal. All he did was to engage in consensual sexting with several women.
While he has a lot of explaining to do to his wife, he doesn't owe an explanation to anybody else. I think it is unfortunate that he bowed to pressure and resigned. This is not to suggest that I am a Weiner supporter -- a great pun could go here -- my feelings toward the man as a legislator are rather ambivalent.
I simply don't understand why sexual escapades -- a personal issue a good deal of the time -- are viewed in Washington as such a travesty worthy of condemnation when, in truth, they exert little impact on a person's ability to serve as an elected representative. It's not like his extracurricular activities impoverished a portion of the populace or led to death of anyone.
Of all the supposed failings of a Congressperson, taking photos of one's penis doesn't rank very high with me. What would rank high are the sorts of things that few people inside the beltway seem to get rankled about at all. Acts like insider trading, tipping off lobbyists, conflict of interest and implicit bribery are the kinds of things that I think should lead to charges AND resignation.
But those kinds of antics are (wink, wink) par for the course. About the ONLY time someone gets in trouble for these sorts of things is if a person's behavior is so blatant and over the top that it simply can't be swept under the proverbial rug. An official might be censured, but that's about as far as it usually goes.
A president can out and out lie to the nation and yet most people in Congress willfully look the other way. But take a picture of your genitals and you're dog meat!!!
While he has a lot of explaining to do to his wife, he doesn't owe an explanation to anybody else. I think it is unfortunate that he bowed to pressure and resigned. This is not to suggest that I am a Weiner supporter -- a great pun could go here -- my feelings toward the man as a legislator are rather ambivalent.
I simply don't understand why sexual escapades -- a personal issue a good deal of the time -- are viewed in Washington as such a travesty worthy of condemnation when, in truth, they exert little impact on a person's ability to serve as an elected representative. It's not like his extracurricular activities impoverished a portion of the populace or led to death of anyone.
Of all the supposed failings of a Congressperson, taking photos of one's penis doesn't rank very high with me. What would rank high are the sorts of things that few people inside the beltway seem to get rankled about at all. Acts like insider trading, tipping off lobbyists, conflict of interest and implicit bribery are the kinds of things that I think should lead to charges AND resignation.
But those kinds of antics are (wink, wink) par for the course. About the ONLY time someone gets in trouble for these sorts of things is if a person's behavior is so blatant and over the top that it simply can't be swept under the proverbial rug. An official might be censured, but that's about as far as it usually goes.
A president can out and out lie to the nation and yet most people in Congress willfully look the other way. But take a picture of your genitals and you're dog meat!!!
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