Weiner does the right thing
Rep. Anthony Weiner announces his resignation from Congress at a news conference in Brooklyn (June 16, 2011). Credit: AP
In the days following the discovery of Anthony Weiner's unsavory social networking, the Forest Hills congressman managed to do just one thing right. He quit.
Weiner held a heckler-marred news conference Thursday afternoon at the hall where he had, in the past, announced his plans to seek both a City Council seat and his congressional post. He apologized again for his personal mistakes, and said he was stepping down to end the distraction his behavior had caused and to give him and his wife time and space to heal.
When the fact that Weiner had been sending sexual photos of himself to some Twitter followers surfaced, the pugnacious politician simply lied. He claimed his account was hacked and he could not say "with certitude" whether the pictures were of him, whether he had taken them, or how they'd been sent. But his deceptions quickly crumbled. Women he'd been sexting stepped forward, forcing Weiner to admit his lies.
He says he'll be looking for other ways to contribute his talents. That's our hope for him, too. He is a young man of significant abilities, and if he learns from this he may yet use them well.
His Queens-Brooklyn district will now endure a special election, and the winner will join a Congress confounded by wars, massive debts and a miserable economy.
We hope that will keep New York's new representative busy, and out of trouble.
