"Were You Fully Erect?" That was the last question I heard shouted by the press over media din as...

[kpete]

"Were You Fully Erect?"
by Andrew Sullivan

.................

"Weiner has not resigned and, frankly, I see little reason why he should. No one, so far as I can tell, was harrassed, no one was abused, no actual sex even took place at all. I'm not sure one can even find any hypocrisy here. Moreover, if online flirting is unforgivable, why isn't off-line flirting unforgivable? And what really is the difference? Apart from pictures that can be used to humiliate - and even blackmail.

.......................

...I don't view this as a partisan matter - I find it impossible to condemn Larry Craig out of hand and feel for Ted Haggard. And they were clearly acting hypocritically. There was also a shred of public reason for their humiliation. I don't see any broader argument being invoked here, except partisan revenge.

Should Weiner have done this? For an elected public official, it was unwise, inappropriate, stupid. For a human being, it remains well within the bounds of, well, human.

Yes, he absolutely should not have lied. He should never have lied. But he has now also copped to his lies. It would take a particularly pitiless person to pile on some more. And I am grateful that even Andrew Breitbart seems to have drawn the line there."

MORE:
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/were-you-fully-erect.html

[Deep13]

1. Jesus, what a bunch of repressed juveniles. nt

[cali]

2. this was not flirting.

it was creepy, obsessive behavior. Not saying that that in itself is reason for him to resign, but with coming revelations and the stupid lying, he probably will.

[Pisces]

6. These girls engaged in an online conversation. Easy enough to disengage. They didn't know

him personally. I don't find it creepy. I find it completely disingenuous that any woman was offended yet kept up the facebooking and twittering. Wouldn't you defriend someone who was
scaring you?

Seems like the internet makes people feel invisible and more uninhibited to say and do things you normally wouldn't.

[ljm2002]

3. That question, shouted out at the end...

...absolutely infuriated me. But in a way, it serves to remind us of what our press has become. Their stock in trade is the circus, not important news. If they can degrade the discourse more, they will do so without hesitation. It is their function in our new corporate society. Humiliation of someone who has fought the corporate agenda? Priceless.

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. That was done by some dude from the Howard Stern show.

Consider the source.

[meow mix]

18. also.. "will you fight for arnolds love children"

or something to that effect

[sufrommich]

4. It was someone from the Howard Stern show. nt

[liberal N proud]

7. The media in this nation should be ashamed

This story should have been a joke that a picture of a congressman's underwear was sent by cell phone. A few laughs and some funny jokes about his name and the picture and nothing more.

But we have a media that is not only obsessed with sex, but with taking down a Democratic member of Congress and therefore they kept this story alive for weeks.


This nation is sick beyond control and it is really sad how this nation will die while we are talking about some politicians sex life or another. SAD, SAD, SAD!

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. How do we know that the person who shouted it actually worked for a media entity?

[sufrommich]

10. He didn't. nt

[Aryo]

9. It was Benjy Bronk

I have read that he may be a cousin of Rahm Emmanuel.

[w4rma]

11. Rahm and Benjy are first cousins. (nt)

[Aryo]

13. I knew I read that.

Thanks 4 confirming!

[Kingofalldems]

12. Benjy the new Stuttering John I guess

[cbdo2007]

19. haha, that was hilarious. Even the other press people were cracking up in the video.

[Politicalboi]

14. I wonder how much attention he would have got

Had he hired a hooker and liked wearing diapers. I can't believe how Vitter didn't get the shit he deserved.

[WinkyDink]

15. Should have been a statement, then an exit. Period. (Hey! Now we know where Jeff Gannon got to!)

[Deep13]

17. "It was me. Access to health care should be a right of citizenship...." nt

[Iggo]

16. 'No. But your mother was'...

...is the proper response.