WeinerGate

This is so discouraging.  Anthony Weiner is one of my very favorite Congressman and I don't want to believe that he could, in reality, be a creep!  On the one hand, I think this is a complete non-story, but on the other, his explanations have been undeniably dodgy.

Of course the endless discussion is partly because it's so funny (his name is Weiner!!) and because it's so fun to be able to say "penis" and it's many many pet names on TV.  It's very possible that Weiner is being ambiguous because he loves being in the news, and he undoubtedly thinks it will blow over, which is probably will. 

Here's an example of the coverage~

Chris Matthews has been pretty annoyed and pretty critical of the responses that Weiner have offered.

Jon Stewart said it couldn't be Weiner, because he had seen him in a swimsuit, and knew he wasn't that big.

Weiner appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and cracked several jokes about the controversy, saying, among other things, that he has suffered from jokes regarding his name for his entire life.

ADDENDUM  6/5/11

After TEN DAYS of joking around and LYING, Weiner finally admitted that the photo is him and he sent it, and he's been sexting and flirting with women online for years, even after his marriage (just 11 months ago - he's practically a newlywed).  What a freakin' tool.  He clearly has some kind of compulsion, because his level of participation in this is not a passing activity (a bunch more photos have been released) - this analysis at BagNewsNotes is brief and illuminating.  He says his wife knew about it, but she certainly wasn't at the press conference, playing the supportive wife.  I wonder how he found the time!  He needs a new hobby and some serious therapy.  There's much speculation about whether he can hold onto his seat (despite his assertion that he won't resign), but his rising star has definitely stalled.  And he claims he did nothing illegal, which is probably true, but Congress is still going to investigate whether he used government resources for these extracurricular activites.  His constituents are noticeably not overly concerned, and if I was in his district, I would vote for him.  But I still think he's an idiot.

ADDENDUM 6/8/11

OMFG - it turns out his smart and beautiful wife is pregnant with their first child.  For some reason, this enrages me.  He has shit all over what should be a precious and lovely time in his marriage and his life.  What a complete jerk.  He needs to get himself together; he certainly does not deserve his classy wife!

Even though I'm completely disgusted with him as a person, I think the press is keeping this story in the news more than necessary because it's titilating and because he's an outspoken liberal who lots of colleagues, including plenty of Democrats, would like to see take down a notch or 3.  The truth is, what he did is neither rare nor illegal, and it's already gotten more coverage than it deserves.  I also agree with the many commentators who say, anyone calling for his resignation needs to show us their own computer hard drive and online search histories!