Should We Care About Anthony Weiner's Photo Scandal?

Now that Andrew Breitbart has acquired multiple photos of a U.S. congressman in various stages of undress, adding fuel to a story about an explicit tweet that the media as a whole has obsessed over for days, it's worth asking ourselves whether we should care if Rep. Anthony Weiner, or any politician, engages in sexual behavior that is legal, common, and widely regarded to be immoral. One case for subjecting elected leaders to this kind of scrutiny is that they are role models whether they like it or not. It is important, in this telling, that society stigmatize certain behaviors should they come to light -- there's no reason for reporters to launch investigations into the sex lives of politicians, but once they start to leak out a media firestorm is appropriate.

Here's another argument for strict scrutiny: the public has a legitimate interest in knowing the character of any official who represents them. Perhaps he campaigned largely on being a family man and person of integrity. Or maybe sexual misbehavior tells us something larger. It is plausible, for example, that a man who breaks his marriage vows might be more willing to violate his oath of office.