Weinergate: Anthony Weiner to take leave of absence from the Congress to seek rehab
June 11, 2011
Now that it has been learned that Anthony Weiner has possibly engaged in sexting with an underage girl, and amid fresh calls of resignation from his own party, the congressman has decided to take a leave of absence from the Congress in order to seek rehabilitation.
Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person,” Weiner’s office said in a statement. “In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.“Congressman Weiner takes the views of his colleagues very seriously and has determined that he needs this time to get healthy and make the best decision possible for himself, his family and his constituents”
Not all Democrats are satisfied with Weiner’s decision and are still calling for him to resign, here is what two top Democrats–Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz–had to say:
Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress,” Pelosi said in a statement released this afternoon.
Wasserman Schultz called Weiner’s continued service in Congress “untenable,” and added that “this sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction.”
And here is what another Democrat aide had to say:
I was surprised that he decided to seek treatment,” said a House Democratic aide. “I’m guessing he’s hoping to put calls for resignation at bay by doing the treatment if that helps him. He’s hoping it’ll give him more time
It is clear to me that all of those quoted above still think that Anthony Weiner should resign and is simply headed to rehab not because he believes he needs help but because he thinks entering rehab will help him to delay the inevitable and will help him hang onto his House seat and ride out the storm amid the calls for his resignation. He feels as if he admits that he is sick and needs help that he will be allowed to hold onto his House seat. He is playing the sympathy card.
Anthony Weiner has embarrassed himself, his family, his party, the Congress, and the United States of America and he can claim that he is sick and has a problem all he wants, he can enter rehab in an attempt to save his career, but the bottom line is that if he wants to undergo rehab in order to save his reputation and his marriage the honorable thing to do would be to resign in order to set himself straight in the anonymity of an ordinary citizen and not as a member of the Congress. It is time for him to step down as he has already made himself out to be a fool and embarrassed those that he claims to love.
Yet even in this time of trouble Anthony Weiner is still unable to give up the power which led him to believe he could get away with this behavior and until he is willing to relinquish this power he will never be able to be truly rehabilitated. This is a last ditch effort to save his job and it looks as though it will not work. If he is truly sorry for what he has put his family through he would resign and look to save his marriage in private, but he has decided to remain in the spotlight–thereby putting his wife and family in the spotlight–and he is doing it because he feels as if remaining in the Congress is more important than repairing the bonds of trust which he has broken. That alone says everything about this man that needs to be said.
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America's Watchtower 
Maybe he thinks, “Hey, it worked (to a degree) for Tiger Woods.” The difference is, Tiger was not in a position of public trust. If you cannot trust a person to honor one of the most recognized & honored promises in the world (marriage), how can you expect him or her to respect much anything else?
Get lost Weiner, you’re a fraud!
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He may feel he can use the Tiger defense but as you said there is a huge difference here.
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This just screams double standard. I would expect any elected person to resign no matter the party. I think we need to get away from this idea of electing people who want to make a career out of running our lives. The longer they are there the more entitled they feel. The Weiner man is a study in how power corrupts. He felt he could do these things with no retribution. I don’t think any person in a job in the private sector would survive for 10 seconds after getting caught. And I am not just talking about doing this at work. I have known people fired just for posting something negative about their job on facebook. Now in my eyes Weiner man has embarassed my government and must go.
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Amen brother! While the average American is held to a certain standard, by society and our elected officials, the people we elect to represent us feel as if they are above us and do not need to lead by example and ANthony Weiner is a prime example.
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Yep, I was going to pull the ‘Tiger Card’ too. It is a huge difference. Although things haven’t been going so well for Tiger, yet being a Liberal (D) in Congress does have its privileges.
Get the hell out of DC you dick. Become a Sex addiction Councillor to the habitual pud-pullers of America. Not a sitting member of Congress!
Aloha FSSF!
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There is a huge difference between Tiger and Weiner, with Tiger the people and the sponsors can make a decision about whether or not to continue supporting him, whereas with Weiner he was elected to represent the people and he should be held to a higher standard. Tiger entertains the people while Weiner is supposed to represent the people.
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