Congressman Weiner

In the long line of political figures who mispronounce their own names, Hamilton Jordan (which he pronounced "Jerdin") used to be my favorite, but now Anthony Weiner, a congressman planning to run for mayor of New York, has pushed Jerdin into second place. Congressman Weiner first became famous as an aggressive defender of progressive ideas. Then he became even more famous for sharing photographic information about the bulge in his underpants and lying about having done this with the fervor of wolverine. Today he has few defenders because people fear the next Weiner surprise.

So far Weiner is guilty of tweeting some suggestive photographs of himself (not a crime) and then lying about it (not a crime). But many people believe his behavior is creepy and find his hard-nosed lying offensive. To date, no real sex has been uncovered, just minor exhibitionism. As a comic said, "Never has anyone lost so much in return for so little."

Should Weiner resign? I don't care. As our entitled political leaders go, he's probably average.

The truth is that men have all sorts of fantastic sexual notions, some of which are physically impossible--but most men don't act out the stupid ones. They grasp the difference between fantasy and reality. They hope no one can read their minds. Weiner lost his grip on the difference and did it in public--anything you put on the internet is public.

Apparently many political leaders cannot get it through their gongs that (1) no matter where they go, someone will be filming them with cell phone, (2) that if they tweet an underpants shot, it will end up on TV, and (3) that if they go on the Colbert show, they will look ridiculous.

--Gary Goss