Watching Andrew Breitbart hijack New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner’s press conference was like visiting a parallel universe. It looked pretty bad for Weiner when he failed to appear promptly at the 4 p.m. presser he’d called, allowing Breitbart to take over. I didn’t think there was any way Weiner would be able to top him.
But he did.
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After a week of lying and cracking jokes about his crotch, Weiner finally came clean. That’s good for his soul, but not for his political career. Honesty only gets you so far when you’ve already been caught lying.
And Weiner said more than he had to or should have. I kept waiting for the crook to yank him off the podium. Among the details I did not need to know:
- The fact that he only told his wife this morning that he’d been lying.
- The phrase “to the best of my knowledge,” used when asked whether the women he was sexting were of age. Really? Perhaps this will at least alert him — and others — of the dangers of sending pictures of your crotch to strangers.
A resignation would have preserved some of this man’s dignity. It didn’t happen, and it probably won’t. That’s not to say he’ll remain in office long. After his performance of the last week or so, Democrats in the state legislature have every reason to target him in redistricting, if they think they can get away with it.
By the end of this press conference, I felt embarrassed and sorry on Weiner’s behalf. At some point, you reach a level of “pathetic” at which it no longer matters whether a man deserves your pity.
