I notice that when Congressman Anthony Weiner is asked about resignation—usually on the fly, generally while hurrying past a scrum of reporters—that aura of contrition quickly evaporates. “No, I’m not resigning,” he declares, and the narrowed eyes and pursed lips familiar to viewers of his C-SPAN tantrums are suddenly in evidence.
Should Weiner resign? I have no opinion. It appears to be true, as he suggests, that he has broken no laws and (so far as I am aware) done nothing in violation of House ethics rules—which, in any case, can be arbitrary and capricious. Weiner has been demonstrated to be a liar, a buffoon, a cad, and a person of questionable judgment; but if that were cause for political self-immolation, we would lose a shockingly high percentage of Congress. As a technical matter, there is no cause (that I yet know about) that would compel his resignation from Congress.
