NY Rep. Weiner admits he sent lewd pix; won't quit

Source: AP

NEW YORK – After days of denials, a choked-up New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed Monday that he tweeted a bulging-underpants photo of himself to a young woman and admitted to "inappropriate" exchanges with six women before and after getting married. He apologized for lying but said he would not resign.

A conservative website that last week started a furor over a lewd photo sent from Weiner's Twitter account posted new photos Monday purportedly from a second woman who said she received shirtless shots of the congressman. At a news conference Monday, Weiner called the initial underpants photo a joke and a "hugely regrettable mistake."

* said the new photo was in a cache of intimate online photographs, chats and email exchanges the woman claimed to have. The website did not identify the woman, and it could not immediately be determined if the photo was authentic.

Another photo showed Weiner on a couch with two cats nearby. The website said Weiner sent the photo using the anthonyweiner(at)aol.com account with the subject line "Me and the pussys."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_congressman_twitter_photo

---

So far as we know - no (physical) affair, no lawbreaking.

When will Republican Senator Ensign be prosecuted?

* I refuse to include the name of the conservative website or the name of the syphilis infected person who runs it.

People have sex lives.

Public people sometimes have their sex lives splattered all over the media.

This is the future.

The GOP rep in Upstate NY which just went to the Dem was because he was shopping his pic around for a relationship. Weiner's tweets and facebook activity seem like a variance to Farmville and Mafia Wars. I'd put this activity in the same category with social networking games.

It's about being a sitting member of congress and putting yourself in a compromising position that could lead to worse situations such as blackmail. Blackmail is bad but even worse when it involves members of congress because of their power, connections, and some are privy to sensitive information. His choices are serious violations of trust with the people.

I believe he should step down just as Lee did.

Same reason I was/am so pissed at Edwards!
It's one thing to do whatever you do with your own life, however sleazy, be one Democrat or Republican I don't really care.
It's a whole other matter when it puts one in a position where they are susceptible to blackmail or have the shenanigans publicized at a crucial moment when REAL damage can be done.
We have to hold our own to that standard, let the Republicans worry about their own; as Democrats/progressives we've got to try to get it through the 'heads' of our team - don't do stuff that can hurt the cause!

I really thought he was a stand up guy. Ha! That joke was on me.

Clinton, Edwards, Reagan, Newt... the same genes that genes that give them enough ego to go out and ask people for their votes,, the same self confidence it takes to believe in yourself to get out in front of an audience, to really believe you have a solution and can lead are probably directly tied to proclivity to procreate, to thinking 'I can get away with this'.

Absolutely normal evolutionary biology for a dominant (and that would describe the vast majority of men who would even consider running for any office) male to tryst with any even semi willing female. I know of very few hetero trending guys who wouldn't bed any half way decent looking woman; we're dogs, the ones that weren't didn't pass on their genes. Add in the fact that Edwards would be considered good looking by most women and he was pretty wealthy..... no surprise.
The only "faithful" guy is one who can rationally calculate that the thrill is not worth the risk; it has nothing to do with how beautiful the wife (e.g. Kennedy).

Not excusing, just observing. The number of men who will remain faithful to their wives when another woman is available is probably exactly equal to the number of closeted or highly repressed gay ones plus the ones with cold blooded iron willed self discipline. We men are dogs.

Who are these politicians who are so willing to sell our government and

its agencies to corporations -- and themselves to corporations?







The Rightwing Koch Bros. Funded the DLC -

http://www.democrats.com/node/7789

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x498414


If you knew about this, why didn't you tell us -- ??

If you didn't know, pass it along -- !

:)

Move them goalposts!

and political power probably goes back to Gilgamesh, and respects no division of liberal/conservative.

It's just a bit more 'entertaining' when a Republican gets caught, due to their supposed promulgation of the Judeo-Christian ethic (minus those nasty bits about caring for the poor, the sick, and the alien)

I'm trying to point out that our government has been sold to corporations

because our elected officials have been willing to sell themselves --

i.e., we are at the bottom of the political barrel --

We get the government we deserve.

Many decades of choosing the "lesser or two evils", IMHO, e.g. -from kissing JFK's ass when he was a horndog who cut taxes on the rich to a degree undreamed of by the most fervent tea partier (and amongst my family because he was an Irish Catholic = could do no wrong) to being enthralled by a handsome, articulate, elegant biracial man who's only real qualification is that he wasn't John Mccain or GWB regardless of the fact that he's as much a corporatist and wall street lackey as anybody on the board of Goldma-Sachs or News Corporation.

Now sit down, shut up, and obey your corporate masters or we'll give *your* provider on of the 3000+ exemptions to the Affordable Health Care provision!

sex outside their marriages, with Vitter being a diaper-wearing pervert?

Guys that also should have resigned

Catch them in compromising situation and then attack.

Don't pay attention to the man over there stealing your country, but this man is hiding his sex life from public view.


Sex is the tool which they use.

He was and is the most articulate Liberal Democrat in the House. We lost Grayson. His removal would be beyond devastating.

networking sites are not safe. I have always known that our party is not perfect but I did think we were smarter.

I will continue to support him because of his willingness to take on the issues but I am afraid he will be under a great deal of pressure.

but I really expected better of him. He is willing to stand up to the Republicans and Tea Party and we just don't need this kind of distraction.

The only person he has to answer to is his wife.

wrong with someone who does this, something inside either terribly arrogant or dim that seeks self distruction. I LOVE this man but honestly. How could he even THINK of something like this in this political climate when we NEED him.

especially when attacking the PERVERT Clarence Thomas!!

Quite ironic!!

constituents, thus making it a public issue.

if he did, I'd like to see the actual quote.

That's the same as a lie --

In fact worse because his supporters went out on a limb for him --

Look at Jon Stewart -- what's he to say now -- except make fun of himself?

And, in turn, he has done Clarence Thomas a huge favor --

not to mention that we now have a Dem who has had to apologize to Briebart!

He didn't hold himself up as some paragon of morality before this. All it does is prove that he is, in fact, human.

And maybe our Congress will take another look at our privacy laws.

about those who can cast the first stone? What Brietfart did to Sherrod was alot more despicable and he's yet to apologize for it.

I'm standing by Anthony. FEW Dems I've even known of have celled 'em like they see 'em. I just hope this doesn't quell his fervor as a congressman.

this is going to be hard to overcome...

I believe in individual privacy, but the lying is the deal breaker for me. He should have either made no comment, or just commented that the matter was one of a private nature with no further comment.

But there still would've been speculation continuing if Weiner just remained silent...Obama remaining silent about the birth certificate issue didn't stop the nonsense speculation by Jerome Corsi.

And Bill Clinton lied to cover up his affair with Monica but didn't pull a Nixon.

There would have always been speculation.

What is it with these men, though? I mean, don't they see that they are all being exposed? You would think that Weiner would have learned from Clinton, Spitzer and Edwards! Is it really such a power-turn-on to just see how far they can get?

This is immaturity at the absolute worst level. And THIS is what is making decisions that affect our very lives.

Frightening to me.

Having said that, when Weiner refused to either confirm or deny, so to speak, it seemed that the pic might indeed be his. I'm trying to think what would have been the right way to answer the reporters' questions. "Yes, yes, that was my penis. Now let's talk about the debt ceiling." It just wouldn't fly.

it after they were married.

It wasn't illegal in any case. Lewd? Perhaps, but honestly, I don't see it. He showed no flesh.

Equivocating was dumb. He should have just said, "No comment. Period"

Actually it sounds like there might have bgeen flesh in other cases. Either way, see my previous comment. Compromising situations are never good.

how's that? :shrug:

It is regrettable that we live in a society where so many people and the media are fixated on people's personal lives, but we do.

And all these guys know that.

And they know that once you put yourself out there ... as a candidate for office, as an athlete, as a business leader, community leader, religious leader, whatever ... this is the type of activity that can hurt you when people learn about it. Because that is the kind of shark pool in which they chose to live.

So, do your thing. But be aware that when you are caught, it is on you. Don't lie about it. Don't obfuscate. Just confess and move on.

For me, that is the character issue here. That is where he disappoints (well, and seriously, aside from 12-year-olds, who *doesn't* know that anything send via email/twitter/FB/etc. lives forever outside your control and everything you do online can be tracked).

I care about a member of congress opening themselves up to potential more serious issues like blackmail especially when members of congress can be privy to sensitive information, power, and connections. It's a major violation of the public trust.

unbelievable..what a country.. can we have that change now?

He used to send stuttering John to do that at all the big press conferences

Wiener is an idiot. Why oh why do these pols think that the web is anonymous?

:spank:

for him if i could.

For a guy as smart as he is, how could he possibly think it would never come to light.

I'm extremely disappointed in him.

I am absolutely stunned by the stupidity. Did he not see what happened to Spitzer? I am stupified.

they don't ask for his resignation.

Democrats or Liberals anymore. That ended with--not the picture--but the lying. If, he keeps speaking for Democrats, he will do more harm than good. He was always eloquent. It's too bad. I don't know that there's anyone who can take his place right now.

for the remainder of this term. Get re-elected, then continue to be an effective voice. This shit shouldn't derail his entire career.

tell you the truth, I am still somewhat in shock. Much more so than when Bill Clinton dallied with Monica. I never would have expected Weiner to be anywhere near the low road. Live and learn. This is a class one disaster. Even discovering Nancy Pelosi performing at a burlesque house would have seemed more wholesum. Later, Chill.

many, many people who should be saying nothing start throwing stones and acting outraged. If you got this upset and vocal about BushCo skating through lying about the unnecessary and costly wars and you went on and on about nothing being done to the war criminals, tax relief for the wealthy, war profiteering for Halliburton, fixed elections, attempts to destroy the social network, and so forth, then you would have a reason to complain. As it is, you're just playing into Breitbart's and his employer's intention, and that is to get rid of one of the most vocal and intelligent people for the progressive agenda. Nice work!

those things. Weiner is wrong about what he did. I'll keep hedging my bet that I will get into heaven. You obviously have a different compass than I. Ostensibly, for you, twittering multiple women with your sex organ while married is kewl. Not me. Weiner cannot be part of the progressive agenda right now. That will do more harm than good. The Republicans do not needed more talking points.

this how? "Bush was wrong?" Is that the "judge not least ye be judged" philosophy? Deep! I did not say that Weiner was right or wrong, because I am NOT judging him, especially because of this incident. I don't think it's a capital offense. Self-righteousness doesn't help in a real conflict. BTW, hedging your bets is weak. It means you don't know what you're betting on, so you cover all angles. That'll get you into something, but probably not heaven.

opinion on a posting board. No, not a capital offense, but an offense against women. I'll keep hedging my bets. As I said, we have different value systems. Maybe there is an age difference between us. This current generation thinks a whole lot of things are okay that I don't. You're probably more Housewives of New York City. I'm more Little House on the Prarie. Also, my train ride is nearing completion. I'm trying to atone as best I can.

dear.

I wish he had done this long before today. I hope he stays in, we need him.

This is over --

The guy is a jerk!

And most of all he has done a huge favor for Clarence Thomas --

overshadowing Thomas' illegalities in not reporting his wife's income and

political affiliations!!

Wow!

his work for Clarence Thomas, now. No, I don't want him to resign, I want him to go through
the ethics investigation to see if he broke the rules. One thing at a time please, that was
my point..I stand by it. As I stated earlier, he should have spoken up long before this, you
believe it would not have helped him at all?

I will not support anyone who used his position to harass or take advantage of anyone, if
this becomes evident of something greater, then that will be very different:

"Among the women Weiner contacted, Meagan Broussard, told ABC News that Weiner "friended" her on Facebook after she commented on one of his speeches posted online on April 20. They exchanged more than 100 messages, and Weiner constantly tried to steer the conversation toward sex."

We still have Ensign and we still have Vitter who admitted to employing prostitutes. I still want to see pictures of Vitter in diapers.

So a simple indiscretion of sending your picture to a girl who is of legal age hardly seems like a real problem. It seems like a private matter between the senator and the young lady.


You want to go after Wiener then go after Ensign and Vitter.

who resigned? Or the Senator bathroom stall. And we don't still have Ensign.

think the pictures will never surface again or are wanted by the recipients. Would I vote for him? Luckily, I don't live in his district. Expected him to be smarter than this. This is just flat out stupid.

He's got the goods!

Oh, and I'm glad he's not resigning............the repukes almost never resign.

Hmm....is that what qualifies as goods in his area. Shucks, he's fortunate. He'd be laughed out of some circles. He shouldn't resign though. He should lay low for a minute (judging from the picture, that shouldn't be a problem). He can come back later with no problem. Give the people who would actually give a care an opportunity to forget this "little" problem and move on.

There goes a good deal of his credibility, at least for the near future. What the hell? He had a good thing going and fucked it up badly with all of this.

Its not about the lewd pics so much as the baldfaced lying in an attempt to cover it up for me and yes I feel the same way about republicans who behave just as badly.
Just because a republican might commit something wrong and their party still supports them in office doesnt mean (imo atleast) that we should condone a democrat who commits something that we know is wrong.

./nm

Did the maid blackmail Arnold? Did the question even arise?

not enough of a challenge that he needed to do this???
This stupid behavior hurts all the good causes for which he stood. So how dedicated was he?

Not excusing AW, but probably 90% of the guys I know have never overcome a certain adolescent fixation with the occasional flaunting of a certain body part.

Thomas' actions have implications of serious concern.


-

Weiner has just done Thomas a HUGE favor -- !!

And on top of it all -- an APOLOGY TO BRIEBART!!


Don't get that so many here want to dismiss this --

it's not about sex -- it's about absolute stupidity --

But ack... What an idiot when it comes to digital media. Everyone should assume that any digital photo will end up in a public forum one day.

No, guess he didn't.

Sexual activity with consenting adults should not be a reason for anyone - male or female - to not run for office or to step down from office.

That being said....all politicians need to remember that you are under 24/7 surveillance so don't ever assume you have any privacy. Every phone call, every photo, every fax, every text, every email, every discussion in a private or public place is being monitored by someone. That someone may be a U.S. or foreign agent, a political opponent, a corporate spy, your wife's private investigator, or the hacker next door.

Stop making fools of yourselves!

Stop screwing us progressives and liberals over with your egotistical libido's!

We need a new breed of liberal politician. One that keeps his pants on, and doesn't waste our time.

Thank goodness there are a few liberal politicians left without such despicable morals.

Most of them are women.

I hope Mr. Weiner enjoys his retirement. He's not worth any more of our time or support.

Sickening, how the good ones let us down so often.

...and there's not much we can do about it. At least the pols on our side don't run as "family-values" guys so when they're caught they're not also guilty of hypocrisy. Weiner has said that he won't step down and that's good. He has been a strong advocate for our side. Let's hope that his constituents can look past this personal issue and see fit to reelect him.

Edwards, on the other hand...stepped way out of bounds in my opinion and there's no coming back from that politically.

Most of the married men (and women) in this nation, when we get home from work and go on the internet, we go to the NY Times, to the DU, and IF we send pictures to anyone, we send pictures of our family, our babies, our children, our cats and dogs.....

We don't screw around with strangers of the opposite, (or same) sex, anonymously on the internet. OR, if we do, we expect to never hold elected office. In short, if we DO that, we have no life outside of the internet.

Weiner is THROUGH!!!! Weiner is not a man to hold any elective office. His salary needs to be refunded, IN FULL WITH INTEREST, no pension, no health care benefits for his family paid for by the taxpayer.

This is such a disgrace, shame on him!

Anthony, Anthony, Anthong. Why??????

dang that was funny! If you said "raising the debt" I would have fell off my chair because that's what I heard him say most, but heck, thanks for that.

"Long Dong" Clarence Thomas ... ?

Who would have the highground here?

In fact, Weiner has just done Thomas a HUGE FAVOR in destroying the attack on him

for not disclosing his wife's financial connections and funds taken in!!

Sadly, when you lie for a week to the nation -- to your supporters --

you're going to lose a lot of friends.

It's not about anything being "illegal" -- and it's certainly not about "sex" --

it's about stupidity and inappropriate and I'd say childish behavior --

Certainly it doesn't help his cause, the Thomas cause, or the cause of the

Democratic party --


Granted -- Thomas should have been in jail, but we have Biden to thank for helping

put him on the Supreme Court. Another betrayal.

He's only human people make mistakes, the point is LEARN from them. Apologize and move on.:eyes:

never, never, say it with ink..

just fucking stupid.

:facepalm: ! What a dumbass...

I really don't understand why a politician would be this stupid, especially a fairly prominent, outspoken, and otherwise intelligent one that is married that too! And his wife (didn't he marry that woman working at the state department?) is quite attractive.

The stupid boggles the mind.

to not show up at the news conference. She should run, not walk, to a divorce lawyer.

His denials were so strained, his reactions showed no confidence in the lies he was saying.

The coverup was worse than the offense.

should have raised more doubts --

but very strong support for Weiner on DU --

Even Jon Stewart was standing up for him -- !!

see if House accounts/material was used.

on one of their own?

"" (Politico, Oct. 2, 2009): "Asked if the Senate Ethics Committee should investigate, McConnell said: "I really don't have any observations to make about the Ensign matter." "

At least he didn't lie about it.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

If the consequences were not so out of proportionately high, this all would be quite humorous.

Sadly, the hypocritcal adulterors and corporate-owned media prostitues will make Weiners life miserable and rob us of an effective spokesperson.

How come the Republican real sex scandals get a pass (I was sooooo young! at 50 plus years old) and the Dems barely there scandals are so horrendous that it requires twenty-four hour coverage seven days a week?

I looked up the Vanderbilt TV news archive and found that when Rep. Chris Lee actually resigned over his topless photos on Craigslist, the news networks pretty much responded with crickets: ABC and CBS only provided 20-second summaries, and NBC's full report by Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O'Donnell lasted only one minute. Similarly, on the day that Rep. Mark Souder resigned after admitting to an affair with a staffer, ABC and CBS both ignored the story, and Brian Williams read a 20-second summary on NBC. However, ABC on May 18, 2010 devoted .

But Mark Sanford initially got plenty of coverage after he vanished to South America, but he was lucky enough to have the death of Michael Jackson distract from his infidelity.

Yet the John Edwards and Anthony Weiner scandals became 24/7 speculative, contentless media circuses, and you'd have to watch the MSNBC evening shows or pull up Daily Kos or DU or whatever lefty site online to see in-depth, extended coverage of Republican sex scandals.

we might be able to make some accomplishments..........but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
I would still vote for him if I could.

Kissinger? We think they're trying to nobly serve their country. They just want to get infinitely laid.

I voted for Gerry Studds as my Representative the very first time I voted, at 18, in 1972. After he admitted to a relationship with a congressional page, publicly coming out at the same time, he did not resign, and his constituents voted him back into office five or six more terms after his admission. Sex with someone who could be seen as answering to him professionally, and was certainly very young, could be seen as a more serious offense than what Weiner has admitted to. I honestly cannot remember if Studds lied about this before owning up to it or simply offered "no comments", and some quick research didn't answer my question. That, to me, would be the significant difference, and the key as to whether Weiner can survive this or not. (Studds, like Weiner, also had an unfortunate surname for the circumstances, didn't he?)

I hope Weiner tries to ride it out. We need anyone who gets under the skin of conservatives the way he does. I wish he hadn't lied about this - and so obviously only told the truth when it was unavoidable. I suspected something wasn't right - right from the start, I was hoping against hope that he was being vague and uncooperative because he was setting up the perpetrators. No such luck. I can't say I'm surprised, but I wish we didn't have to see this.

My wife would have liked to be here but she was busy packing my shit....

Look we're adults, but most of us aren't in the public eye and don't have to worry about winding up having a heartfelt sitdown with a major network anchor to explain about how we uh, had an error of judgment and sent naughty emails and suggestive pics to others while serving in Congress and also after getting married.

The media is having & will continue to have a field day with weinergate. Repub pols mostly get protected in media, Dems aren't. Media doesn't go after the Repubs when they lie and get caught to the same extent as they do with Dems. The Repubs don't start crying about moral values when their own get caught with wandering dicks or tapping feet. Not to mention actual crimes that just seem to go away and/or be forgotten.

Whereas Dems get crucified in the media, the family values crowd wails & gnashes its teeth, etc. throughout continuous news cycles so no one can miss it.

And any Dem pol with a brain, like Weiner, knows that. And also knows that publicly, the lying is still worse than admitting he has a "problem," or poor judgment or however he wants to portray it. That he wasn't thinking with his "brain" when he was posing & sending pics, etc, is obvious. But when it hit the media, this is a media & politically savvy guy. "Embarrassment" the least of his issues, both personally and politically.

Yes, we can say that the US public should get over its hypocrisy about sexual matters, etc. But the fact is, it's there and it's the environment these pols know they're in as public figures. In the end, it's not really about sex IMO but hubris and the thought that they won't get caught being reckless and stupid.

Shit, how many of us curb our own behavior because we don't want to do something stupid that could have real life consequences in both our personal and professional lives? Or is that now the exception?

Since Weiner was a strong voice saying some things that needed to be said in the public arena, it's another boggler that that he would make himself so vulnerable and jeopardize his credibility, etc.

The rep..lying not good, but come on..the photos that chris matthews were dum...lewd thats a strech. Not good for a sitting rep. to behave like a frat boy, but come on. I guess its alright for Sen. Vitter to covort with prostitutes. Just paln stupid.

rather than an adult, I don't think there'd be any question about whether it might be considered "lewd" or not.

This is the best the Democratic Party can do -- ?

At a spontaneous 4 p.m. press conference in the New York City Sheraton hotel, New York Congressman Anthony Weiner confessed to posting a lewd picture on his Twitter feed and carrying on inappropriate online relationships with half a dozen women over three years.

In a tearful admission Monday afternoon, Anthony Weiner explained that he had lied about being “hacked” on Twitter, telling a large crowd of journalists at the hotel ballroom that he was responsible for sending the inappropriate photo that launched the captivating “Weinergate” scandal. After accidentally making the photo visible to all of his followers, Weiner said he "panicked" and attempted to cover up the indiscretion by lying about its origins and deleting it.

I'd like to see Leader Pelosi strip him of his leadership role.

republican or Democrat. It doesn't seem to matter. What stupidity. What colossal waste.

Just like with Edwards, it wasn't bad enough that he was so stupid that he did it, but that he used those who supported him as patsies. Clinton, Edwards, Weiner. Their silly, common little failings are between them and their spouses. But to use and lie to the people that stand up for them is just so low.

Is it not possible to have an honest politician? Yes, I know the republicans are twice as bad, but you expect lying and base behavior from them. Thank goodness nothing is out yet on Obama, but it is getting to seem like you can't trust any of them to be what they profess.

This sense of invulnerabilty must be so strong, that no matter how many examples they have of other pols getting caught, it still doesn't stop others from engaging in risky behavior and then lying about it when exposed.

I wonder what its like to have an ego like that?

It's a rough and tumble business to getting to Congress and staying there. Then once in office, there's likely further ego validation and an enabling sense of power that goes along with it.

Take away the prospect of being punished and people will do some pretty odd things.

Apparently, if you throw enough shit against the wall, something will stick.

The idiots in Congress vote for the Patriot Act and against individual privacy on the internet and in electronic communications and, somehow, it never occurs to them that they are the main targets of the eavesdroppers.

Weiner really disappointed me.

where Democrats have poured out their affection for him and their trust --

their pride in his attack on Clarence Thomas!

Well, he's certainly leveled the playing field with the pervert Thomas!!

He's done Thomas a huge favor!!

and lack of maturity.

"Another day, another 12 year old boy caught trying to pass as a grown man" -






http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/

Rep. Anthony Weiner showed an understanding of the new age of privacy during a press conference on Weinergate this afternoon. Weiner subjected himself to a half-hour whacking by journalists, during which he admitted to lying about his Twitter account being hacked, saying that he did send a photo of his little member of Congress to a Seattle college student “as a joke.” He had intended to send it privately as a direct message, but messed up. On Twitter, this is called a “#DM Fail.” It happens fairly often — it’s the equivalent of the inadvertent “Reply All” of email — and is a good reason NOT to use Twitter as a forum for sending racy photos of yourself.

http://blogs.forbes.com/kashmirhill/2011/06/06/anthony-weiner-comes-clean-about-dirty-photos-and-phone-calls/

This was on public boards, in public forums, on public websites.

Which makes it even more absurd.

sent it via DM, he apparently didn't and perhaps still doesn't realize that twitpics are not private even if sent through DM. Twitpics are third party and while a DM via twitter may be private, the pic itself on Twitpic is publicly accessible. Same with twitlongers, etc.

inadvertently, tried to remove it, but was too late and couldn't. Breitbart's friends were lying in wait for him to make some stupid mistake. So that would explain the whole thing. I don't know enough about Twitter to know whether that makes sense. I thought it was a private sort of Tweet.

So the tweet would have appeared in his followers' tweet feeds. That tweet would have had a link to the pic on Weiner's public photo sharing site (yfrog) account, a third party site where the photos are not private.

Although Weiner said he deleted the public tweet immediately when he realized it had been sent publicly, did no one else out of the tens of thousands following Weiner on twitter notice it & open it & see the pic/link to the pic? That seems strange to me. Things can happen fast on Twitter and it's surprising how many people can see stuff and snag it via screen caps before things can be deleted.

What may have happened: even if he had successfully sent the tweet as a private direct message (DM), which he may have done since there weren't tons of folks coming out immediately saying WTF is Weiner doing sending this pic out on Twitter, the photo sharing account on the other site is publicly visible to anyone. Not hard to find, just google. Or if someone was following Weiner's twitter account (tens of thousands were) if he'd previously publicly tweeted other pics in the past using that pic account, they'd know where his pic album was. I think Weiner would have to go to his pic acct and delete the photo there to get rid of it, not just delete his tweet. In any case, the pic wasn't deleted immediately: the photo capture of the yfrog acct underwear pic shows that the pic had been posted/sent 27 minutes previously to the capture.

Here's Weiner's yfrog acct: http://yfrog.com/user/RepWeiner/photos

Here's where a pic on the acct was deleted. Was it the undie pic? Regardless, it's an example: http://yfrog.com/h25m3luj

Basically, regardless if anyone was "lying in wait for him," it appears the pic was posted on his publicly viewable yfrog account. That's just all kinds of stupid.

This was total bumb ass move.
If he had just said at the beginning that they were his and fuck off, I would be fine with it.
It's between him and his wife at that point.

This just provided a distraction from the actual important shit going on like the GOP assault on the American people.

He's completely discredited as a congressman. He could wield that mouth to better purpose if he got off the phone and got himself a talk show.

So maybe if the NYC native Weiner does quit I guess that he can take his talents to the tube! Especially after he read "House Mouse, Senate Mouse" on the House Floor.

I don't know why they get so worked up with something this guy did, when the republinuts have all these
other sexx maniacs that had scandals almost one after the other, the one that really makes me puke is the Appalachian Trail jogger, and this Appalachian Trail happens to be in th e southern hemisphere, in Argentina, where he joyfully was riding his female argentinian horse", u know what I mean.,.jajaja, wow, republican values are sooo high they dissapear in the stratosphere, jajaja

Can they really not imagine a situation where the person on the receiving end decides to out them - whether for money or publicity?

that they can't keep it in their pants!


is it something in the Capitol water supply? or is it some bizarre unpublicized ritual when you take the oath of office you immediately rip off you pants and start looking for something for dick to do?!!!

This is SUPPOSED to be a SMART man.....how can a 'smart' man not KNOW that this will get out....."oh, surely, 'I'll never get caught'.......this will NEVER come and bite me in the ass later.....no one will ever know...." I'm sorry, the man just proved he is no better than any of the other self absorbed horn dog....he certainly isn't any brighter than the rest.

And don't hand me the 'power is the strongest aphrodisiac' crap...... they think their entitled to it....just like pro athletes.

I believed in Weiner.......he was one of our best hopes......he was leveling the rethugs at every turn.....he was getting good ink..... all he had to do was 'behave like a normal civilized member of society'...but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we have to give the rethugs an early Christmas gift! We have to behave like a hormonal teenager getting his first boner and not knowing what to do with it!

I'm sorry, but I'm pissed at him for behaving this way in the first place, for letting it go this far before confessing, for giving the rethugs ammunition they didn't need, for shooting your own message in the ass, but even more than all that....for making us believe in him...that he was a victim here.

When will all these jackasses realize number one--the internet is FOREVER and so is everything that gets posted on it........two--YOUR INDISCRETIONS WILL ALWAYS COME OUT......and three...THE COVER UP IS ALWAYS WORSE THAN THE CRIME......

but he has made himself a pathetic joke. It's up to his district if they want to reelect him.

What a stupid way to piss away a promising career.

I'm so disappointed. He is/was such a powerhouse for us.

Damn.

Rep. Weiner must be mistaken in thinking that he sent this out.

i knew all along something was up when he wouldn't answer the question directly of whether or not it was him.

what an idiot, for doing it, and for lying about it.

I hope you're kidding because if you're not I know where there's a bridge for sale.

I had the same feeling you did right off the bat, and was surprised to see some giving him such a spirited defense without having all the facts AND with these little "hints" sitting out there. I was assured that it was a RW scam.

I don't blame people for believing him, or for wanting to believe him in the face of these hints, but I always find it interesting to see what people are willing to defend and how far they are willing to go to do it.

he could have done a lot of good, blown because he had to do some stupid-ass thing like a 16-year-old would do?

Seriously.

There were posts claiming to be on the trail of proof and I believed them.

This (pardon my pun) sucks the big one.

DAMN it.

Some explanations are indeed in order --

There must be an epidemic of stupid in this country.

#1 yes it was stupid

b) who cares?

iii) what is worse a dick covered by underwear or lying to start a war that gets 1.5 million dead?


**********

As long as men have male packages (and I am one) many will act stupid because they have male packages.

Good God in Butter! We are all sexual beings and we all act on that fact at one time or another.

what can you lie about?

I like Weiner's politics and the way he calls out Republicans- but he's a dumbass. He should know he that he's made himself a target and should act accordingly. AW- meet the internet.

I love Weiner. I love his fight for Americans. I don't care if he acts like a dork privately. After all, he's a pol. Pols are not cool by definition.

Breitbart says he has plenty of other, x-rated photos, and this time I believe him, not Weiner. Weiner is finished; I wonder if his seat will turn Republican?

I just didn't think he was that dumb. Obviously the guy has a problem.

but we're more concerned about a crotch shot...........mmmmmmkay!

it's the really bad judgment. You have to question these people's ability to make decisions and their commitment to what should be more important than their tacky whims.

We all know that alpha males are always thinking with the wrong head. But Anthony has just proven that, given enough publicity, even a chess-club geek can end up thinking with the wrong head.

After all, we're not "hot". Hillary Clinton won't wear a knee-length dress or skirt; she's got the dreaded "cankles", and she's just one example.

Style over substance wins every time.

I hate all you politicians, Democrat, Republican or other. You are all lying fucking scum. Go to hell you lying scum. I hope your wife takes you to the cleaners AND you lose your job.

Fuck you for legitimizing Breitbart. THAT scumbag will not go away because scumbag politicians like you Weiner keep giving him ammunition.

a woman via Craig's List. What Weiner did was equivalent to that. I think it's only a matter of time until Weiner also resigns.

1. Bringing up "republicans did it too" is no excuse. Didn't work for my kids and doesn't work here. Individuals are responsible for their actions.

2. This stuff is chum for the media sharks. Doesn't matter what letter is next to your name.

3. I expect Congressmen to be held to a higher standard of behavior than some reality star on Jersey Shore. This will get a teacher fired but not a Congressman?

4. He let his constituents in NY down, and those progressive citizens in this US down.

5. Worse of all he ended up giving some legitimacy to scumbag Breitbart; that pisses me off to no end.

6. The alpha male thing is bullshit. That is a "boys will be boys" argument. If there is some inherent character flaw in men who tend to be elected to higher office, then maybe women should do the job instead. It is sexist to believe this and push it as an explanation of behavior.

7. His seat is now vulnerable.

8. Now he has to shut up and keep his head down and hope like hell some hubris filled Republican will fill the news with their own wanton debauchery filled scandal really fucking soon.

We fucking NEEDED people like Weiner in office. FUCK! Why can't these politicians keep their fucking pants zipped up?

Look, I don't CARE who they fuck. But this stuff DESTROYS CAREERS and we NEED people like Weiner.

I think people are making it into a bigger issue than it really is.

Maybe more will come out, but I don't see any illegal behavior. He didn't even cheat. What's the big deal?

There just isn't anything like...a little left leaning Weiner to bring out the trolls...God how you all must hate him...It smells of obsession...You know what kind...

Seriously, why are we even talking about this?

Aren't there real issues in the world?

Ya know things that matter like war, poverty, disease, mans inhumanity to man...stuff like that.

He obfuscated, he lied, his credibility is zero. He is a disgrace. It doesn't matter what it was about, it's a matter of how he reacted. How can he possibly be a 'spokesperson' or 'leader' of sorts of the Democratic Party with this tacked to his chest? How can anyone believe him now on any matter? The scarlett 'L' will forever be branded on his forehead. If not resignation, he should declare he'll serve out his term helping his constituents with their immediate problems and then go quietly into the night...

....shame on you Anthony....didn't your Momma teach you better?

'Weiner called the initial underpants photo a joke and a "hugely regrettable mistake."'

"After days of denials, a choked-up New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed Monday..."

....that's better; go and sin no more, and you'd better not let it happen again....

...what kind of nitwit thinks he can send stuff like this over twitter and not make a mistake, broadcasting instead of PMing? All it takes is a misplaced keystroke.

And all of the strained accusations of hacking - what a pile. If it was a hack it needed to be dealt with severely. This is political equivalent of a high school kid making up a false kidnapping story to cover staying out all night.

Right or left, the members of the political class seems to think that they can do stuff that ordinary, responsible people think is crazy, illegal, or extremely distasteful (or any combination thereof), and somehow get away with it. Edwards, the Governator, Geithner, and Craig - all peas in a pod in this respect.

This guy has the balls to send photos of his junk and when work gets out, he vociferously denies for an entire week.

And then this complete 180?!?!

Cannot believe I defended him last week.

Michael "the dick" Weiner, ladies and gents.

What a dolt. I think he should resign just for being so arrogant and stupid. It gets these guys every time, their hubris, that they are the smartest guys in the world. Dumb.

But at least we've given a bunch of people a "reason" to be pissed off that they were lied to over something that was none of their damned business in the first place.

I wish that had actually been his response "I'm not going to say if it's true or not because it's absolutely none of your business."
Which is exactly why I'll never hold public office. :P

If you want to keep your indiscretions private, don't run for public office.

If he/she wanted privacy he/she shouldn't have (Choose one: Gotten an abortion, had sex, run for office, made albums, been on public assistance, applied for a job, worked for the government, had a tragedy happen in their life, or been born.). Which one is chosen will depend on political affiliation and the relation of the person to the public.

Some stuff just isn't anyone's business but the people involved. Should we create an organization to track every bowel movement of every public official with the shape/weight/size/color/buoyancy for every turd? And searchable! It needs to be searchable. They ran for office so it's our business. (It should have a "sort by" menu too.)

Seriously, what his penis does has no bearing on my life. None whatsoever. I'm guessing it doesn't have any on anyone else on here either. That's why I don't even really care if he lied about it, other than the effort I spent defending him. But I've defended worse lies that I was wrong about and eaten bigger crow in the past, and I'll probably do it again in the future. If I got angry at every politician that lied I'd hate them all and be dead of a heart attack in a week, and they're usually lying about something that actually hurts us.

However, I could honestly care less. Could the US media now move on to something of actual importance, like, say, how Wall Street is fucking us over or the war in Afghanistan?

I teach high school for a living, and some days I come home and flip on the news and log on to DU and it's like I'm still at work. Gossip and giggling and texted pictures of a popular boy's junk; it's like I'm in second period all day long.

and the media continues to ignore GOP scandals and practices a double standard.

But Weiner should resign, regardless. The sooner, the better. Get a new Democrat in his safe seat who isn't such a liability.

...in 2012.

That could change if something illegal pops up, but until then, he was duly elected, period.

are saying he shouldnt resign because x republican hasnt resigned over x reason.
I just do not personally find that as a compelling reason to support this guy to remain in office.

Should he resign? If I were his constitutent, I'd want him to continue working for me. He's better than most.

I hope he rehabilitates himself and wins the next election.

the photos themselves arent to bad its the lying, the outright lying he did in an effort to cover it up repeatedly and over a number of days which disgraced himself and imo his office, thats why imo he should consider resigning.
Will he though? Not if he believes enough enablers want him to continue in office and that they will vote for him regardless which is entirely possible, after all look how many enablers voted for vitter.

can you change it?