KIND OF MAKES ONE YEARN FOR WILBUR MILLS

3/10/10

Fully aware that I am about the millionth person to comment on this story, I feel compelled to do so simply because it is both so entertaining and so reflective of the general direction of our society.

Representative Eric Massa (D., NY) is resigning his House seat. Initially, Mr. Massa cited health concerns for his departure from Congress, saying he has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. However, aides to various members of the Democratic leadership say that investigations have been made into claims that Mr. Massa sexually harassed a male aide, thus leading to speculation, or more, that Mr. Massa stepped aside to avoid an inquiry into his sexual predilections.

Mr. Massa defended himself against the charges of harassment by claiming:

“Now they’re saying I groped a male staffer—yeah, I did. Not only did I grope him, I tickled him ‘til he couldn’t breathe. Then four guys jumped on tom of me…It was ‘kill the old guy.’”

Note that this is Mr. Massa’s defense, as if such peculiar high jinks were somehow normal and acceptable. Note also that Mr. Massa is one of our political leaders, the man the good people of western New York have chosen to represent them in Congress.

One can easily draw from Mr. Massa’s bizarre behavior and even more bizarre defense my usual conclusion: Our country is doomed, either because this is the kind of person we consider fit for leadership or because we have concluded that Washington is indeed a circus always on the outlook for a new set of clowns to appeal to our more ribald enthusiasms.

Give me the otherwise miserable ‘70s when politicians’ transgressions involved cavorting in public fountains with Argentine strippers. Such activity has a decidedly less creepy feel to it.