Jay Kuten: Anthony Weiner does little to discredit Congress

When a seemingly responsible man of wealth or power or both makes a terrible misjudgment in the sexual realm, there is an almost irresistible urge to find some sort of reason, some explanation, some way of rationalising an imagined aberration.
I'm not referring to the charges of rape against Dominique Strauss-Kahn which, if proven, may justify lengthy imprisonment. Serious actions entail serious penalties.
Last week, US congressman Anthony Weiner, 46, married to a beautiful State Department aide of Hillary Clinton, was obliged to admit he had sent semi-nude photos of himself, taken on his Blackberry, to a 22-year-old woman who "followed" him on Twitter.
As the facts emerged, it seems the Congressman sent suggestive messages to at least six women but had no physical contact with any of them.
There are calls for his resignation from partisan adversaries. His putative allies in his own political party have been silent. The charge is that he initially lied about the photo, claiming his account had been "hacked".
It's claimed his behaviour brings discredit to the US Congress. But of what is the Congressman guilty and why is the incident taking over the 24-hour news cycle while economies slide and the Middle East boils over?
Virtual sex is the sharing of fantasy. If that act remains as fantasy without some intention towards fulfillment, it has only the power of a thought. If we were all held responsible for our thoughts, none of us would escape the extremity of punishment. Orwell taught that the difference between democratic and authoritarian regimes is just this: The creation and punishment of thought crimes.
There is a residue of sympathy for someone desperate and foolish enough to do as Weiner did.
After all, he acted out at least partially the dream many of us have had of coming to a party completely naked. Well, he wasn't completely naked but in terms of embarrassment, it's nearly the same - except it isn't. Because what was naked was not his body but his desire for some sort of risky sexual experience in what was, in imagination, a completely safe place - cyberspace.
Except, as he is a public man, it wasn't safe at all. And he knew it, or should have known it, and did it anyway.
You might think this ought to be a matter for his household to decide and for his constituents to mull over in the next election. Just as here in New Zealand, the admitted infidelity of Don Brash is a legitimate matter for consideration by voters. It's about actual behaviour and violation of personal trust. And when politicians make promises, we need to assess just how steadfastly they keep their word.
In the US, though, politics is a different game entirely. For high-minded hypocrisy, the US Congress simply takes all the gongs. Speaking on the Senate floor, a Senator from Texas recently assailed Planned Parenthood, demanding its funding be stopped because, in his words, "90 per cent of what they do is abortions". Confronted quickly with the fact that the actual figure is less than 3 per cent, the Senator simply replied that his words were not intended as a "factual statement". This, of course, is small beer when compared to the record of that deliberative body on issues that affect the world.
For 10 years, the Congress has aided and abetted two (or more) wars based upon hyped intelligence and outright lies and failed in its duties of oversight - a constitutional requirement - to make any attempt to set the record straight or put a halt to funding. That last was how a previous made-up war, Vietnam, was finally concluded. This same Congress has helped fat cats bring the economy to its knees by dismantling regulatory safeguards. In that context, it's hard to see how the foolish, embarrassing and even crude messages sent by one Congressman from Queens could bring the US Congress further discredit.