Rep. Weiner, One of My Real Heroes, Is Finished
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, a real stalwart of the Left wing in American politics in recent years and a personal hero of mine for his courageous stands and articulate speeches, effectively ended his political career today. After days of denying he had anything to do with a picture that has been characterized as "lewd" and "inappropriate" and that was sent from his Twitter account to a student in Alaska, Weiner fessed up and admitted today that the photo was of him, and that he sent it.
He alleged his Twitter account had been hacked and that he had a private security team looking into how to track down the perpetrator and shore up security on his Internet communications. It was all a bold-faced lie. And so yet another rare voice for the oppressed and disenfranchised of this country is effectively silenced by his own stupidity. He says he has no intention of resigning but the odds of his retaining his Congressional seat in the next election are extremely long and will grow longer. My guess is that he will resign in coming weeks.
Politicians of all stripes can fall prey to the temptation of this kind of behavior, of course. And while we have seen much more of this sort of behavior from leaders on the Right, this incident along with former Sen. John Edwards' indictment last week for campaign finance violations directly tied to his admitted extramarital affair that produced a child, provides ample reminder that nobody is exempt.
Beyond my sadness at the loss of Weiner's voice and credibility, I'm genuinely sorry for him, Edwards, former Sen. John Ensign, and so many other national political figures whose certainly well-intentioned careers were destroyed by personal weakness, and for their families, loved ones, fans and supporters whose confidence in the integrity of the system has once again been shaken.
