Well Put

Requiem on Weinergate.

Can we accentuate the positive and celebrate the fact that he failed miserably? The story concludes with the ultimate exposure of a bad apple. But do we have any compelling grounds to believe that the bulk of the barrel is not just as rotten? More importantly, the Weiner affair illustrates a national weakness much broader than merely dissipation or hubris or other inherent flaws widely prevalent in the human race.

As a society, we conditioned Anthony Weiner to believe normal rules of human behavior did not apply to him. Like a star athlete or Hollywood icon whose serial misconduct finally breaks through the exasperatingly capricious threshold of public consciousness, Weiner pathetically struggled to grasp the seriousness of his dire circumstances. Like so many others before him, our prolonged indifference left him unable to understand his suddenly precarious position because he had gotten away with so much for so long.

Congressman Weiner felt secure in abusing the public trust, wielding political power in pursuit of self aggrandizement, squandering federal resources in pursuit of prurient thrills all for one reason: he knew that no one was minding the store. His assumption of impunity, in our current state, was actually the much more logical risk analysis.

We cannot go on like this. If American self-government is to survive another century in a hostile world, we must embrace once again the role of citizen participants in the determination of our own future. Quite frankly, we entrust our fate to the good offices of Anthony Weiner and company at our own peril. The remarkable period in which we could indulge such foolishness without serious consequences is fast coming to a close.

I've been saying this for awhile now...we need to bring back shame in a major way.