Weiner's one-day, pun-laden media blitz a day earlier had only raised more questions about the embarrassing flap when he conceded he wasn't sure whether the waist-down photo of a man's bulging underpants was of him or not. His refusal to involve law enforcement because he said as a member of Congress he shouldn't get special treatment – instead turning the issue over to a private security company he hired – raised rather than answered questions.
The uproar began over the weekend when conservative activist Andrew Breitbart reported on his website that Weiner had sent the photo to a 21-year-old female college student in Seattle who was one of the New York congressman's Twitter followers. Weiner has insisted he did not send the photo. He says he saw it online before deleting it.
Though generally mum in public, Democrats privately fumed at the forced detour in their arguments about Medicare and spending, leaving the generally well-liked seven-term congressman from Brooklyn and Queens largely to fend for himself for a third day in a row. Most Republicans seemed content to let the controversy simmer.
A scene on the House floor Wednesday afternoon seemed to highlight the situation. As newly elected New York Rep. Kathy Hochul was sworn in – after an upset, special-election victory Democrats considered a sign of their ability to communicate their differences with Republicans on the future of Medicare – Weiner and the No. 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer were locked in a nearly 10 minute, animated conversation.
On Thursday, Weiner joined Democratic lawmakers at the White House where the caucus met with President Barack Obama. As they walked from buses on Pennsylvania Ave. Weiner's colleagues stonewalled when they were asked about their colleague.
"I will have nothing to say about that," said fellow New Yorker, Rep. Louise Slaughter. "I'm here to put people to work."
"We're not distracted by that," said Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J.
The House's top Democrat, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, earlier told ABC News that she was "a late-comer to the issue" – one that cable TV and the Capitol press corps have been fixated on for most of the week.
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Penis-shmenis. What is the big deal about Anthony Weiner’s hacked wiener tweet of a wiener? The media should take a more passive; more flaccid position regarding this matter. They swirl like sharks about a man in his underpants. The last time there was this much attention paid to a male member; it was 1993 and the member had been dismembered. From the John Wayne Bobbitt case we learned more about penis reattachment than we ever wanted to know. From the Anthony Weiner case we are learning more about the congressman than we ever wanted to know. Can the media just stay focused on the real issues for once? Why is it that each day on the news we have to see the cotton clad bulge of male genitalia instead of information about the important issues of the day?
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