For
instance, we haven't heard feminist organizations condemn the 46-year-old
Democratic congressman for sending a lewd tweet to a 21-year-old college
student whom Weiner struck up a relationship with; if Weiner had been a
Republican, that line of criticism no doubt would have been front and
center. And yet, we did hear self-righteous rebukes from Republicans who largely
kept quiet when Sen. John Ensign of Nevada confessed to having an affair with
the wife of an aide and when the name of Sen.
David Vitter of Louisiana turned up on the Rolodex of an escort service.

            Here
was my surreal moment: I found myself trying to convince someone that it's a
pretty big deal for a politician to lie to reporters. And the surreal part? The
person I was trying to convince wasa reporter.

            To
be fair, my colleague was careful to insist that she didn't think what Weiner
had done was right. She just didn't think the story deserved all the attention
it was getting from the media "because the impact on the public good is
limited." And, in a larger context, she thought it had a lot to do with how the
United States is so "fixated in matters of private morals."

            Still,
it was depressing to hear. Not just because it was coming from a fellow
journalist. But because I'm certain many Americans would agree that the media
are making too much of the story.

            For
the last two weeks, I've heard many of Weiner's defenders say, in essence: "Of
course, he lied to reporters to protect his family. Who wouldn't?"

            Who
wouldn't? The answer is: A decent person with nothing to hide.

            I
fear this concept has become almost quaint, at a time when public cynicism is
so high that even journalists downplay the significance of lying to
journalists. Either we've become too accustomed to dishonesty from public
officials, or we now trust the media even less than we do politicians. Neither
development would be positive.

            It's
too late for Weiner. Despite his determination to remain in office, it is
obvious that he can no longer discern right from wrong. And if he goes, it
won't be Republicans who will push him out the door. Increasingly, it is his
fellow House Democrats (at least seven of whom have called on him to resign)
who really want him to leave and take this scandal with him. His credibility
has been destroyed, and he is no longer suited to any job in the public square
-- save perhaps hosting an evening show on CNN.

            Now
the battle is for the souls of Weiner's defenders. They can still save
themselves. They don't have to follow their man into moral oblivion. How they
continue to react to this scandal will define them, and tell the rest of us how
serious they are about values and ethics codes -- and how seriously we should take
those people.

            To
preserve their own moral integrity, those who are sticking with Weiner can
start by acknowledging three things:

            (1)
The real issue in this scandal isn't "sexting" or pornography. It's lying. If
Weiner had told the truth immediately, this would have gone much better for
him. By denying the online relationships, he angered the women involved and
they responded by releasing photos and messages that were even more
incriminating and explicit.

            (2)
The standard isn't, as some of Weiner's defenders insist, whether the
congressman broke any laws but whether he violated the House's Code of Official
Conduct by failing to "conduct himself at all times in a manner which shall
reflect creditably on the House of Representatives." It's obvious he did.

            (3)
No matter how much distrust the public has for the media, it is still
unacceptable when politicians lie to the Fourth Estate. A reporter is the
person an elected official calls when he wants to get a story out to the
public. So, when you lie to a reporter, you're lying to the people who elected
you and put their trust in you. Anyone who does that -- and gets caught doing
it -- should not remain in office.

            In
all likelihood, Anthony Weiner's political career is about to come to an abrupt
end. For our sake, let's at least get the story straight and be absolutely
clear about why that is.

(c) 2011, The Washington Post Writers Group