Anthony Weiner

Sex scandals are fun, even when they involve guys on my side of the political street.  The Anthony Weiner story seems to say something about the kind of people who go into politics.  We all know they're narcissists- I guess you'd have to be one to put up with the sort of attention and lack of privacy that is the live of a politician.

But some of these guys are bordering on delusional and mentally ill.  A colleague at work today suggested that Weiner may well be Bipolar, and I think this is possible.  A Bipolar person in a manic or hypomanic phase is extremely impulsive, grandiose, and does not consider the consequences of his/her actions.  Now think of what Weiner did: he sent racy pictures of himself on the internet to complete strangers, identifying himself accurately.  How could he possibly think he wouldn't get outed?  He's an important public figure!  He didn't even use a pseudonym or try to hide who he was!

And then, to top it off, when he got busted he tried to spin a lie that couldn't possibly stand up to scrutiny if anyone did a little digging.  Did he think nobody was going to do some digging?

It's a bizarre story; if it's not about mental illness, maybe it's about the bubble that DC politicians live in.  They learn that rules don't apply to them and they can get away with anything- or so they think.

As for resignation, I find it hard to care.  There's no partisan part here, as he comes from a safe liberal district so he'd be replaced by someone I like politically.  Some have noted that he didn't do anything illegal, and it's probably true that if he sticks it out it'll blow over eventually.  After all, David Vitter is still in the Senate, right?