Sex, lies and recklessness

And another one falls from grace.

Once again, America has been subjected to the scummy drama of yet another public official caught up in a sex scandal. This time it’s Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat who’s been flaunting photos of his private parts and carrying on “sexting” relationships via social networking with many women other than his wife.

Weiner’s pathetic, perverted case was made even worse by the fact that he blatantly lied about it, saying his Twitter account had been hacked and he was the victim of a prank.

Oh, come on.

The only reason he finally fessed up was not because he wanted to tell the truth but because other disturbing photos and details of his secret online life were leaked along with claims that X-rated pictures and even more damaging information also existed.

It’s no surprise anymore when a prominent politician, sports star, movie star or other public figure disappoints us with such lewd behavior. The list is growing long — John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, David Vitter, Larry Craig, Barney Frank, Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwartzenegger and even former President Bill Clinton, to name a few.

We shake our heads and wonder why men who seemingly have it all can be so reckless, so downright sleazy. And the psycho-analysts, time and time again, point out that men in such powerful positions are prone to such behavior. They feel they’re above the law, they’re insulated, they believe they’re entitled, blah, blah, blah.

There’s also discussion whether this kind of virtual cheating, done by sexting, Tweeting and emailing constitutes infidelity. It’s an interesting question, and probably one to which men and women have very different responses.

But here’s the bottom line, especially regarding politicians. When they’re elected to office, they are and should be held to a higher standard. Such conduct is unbecoming of people we elect to lead our nation.

In Weiner’s case, his bald-faced lies should be enough to convince his constituents that he’s not worthy to represent them. Weiner should accept some responsibility for what he’s done and resign.

He’s just one more big disappointment in a long line of politicians in a predicament that has become far too commonplace. But it’s important for the American public not to lower their standards for what is acceptable even when our leaders lower theirs.