Obama on Weiner: 'I would resign'
(CNN) - President Barack Obama told NBC's Ann Curry in an interview to air on Tuesday's "Today," that if he were in Rep. Anthony Weiner's shoes, he would leave Congress.
"I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign," Obama said in a segment released in NBC's "Nightly News" Monday. The president's comments come just days after Democratic leaders, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, called for Weiner's resignation. The New York congressman has been embroiled in scandal after being caught sending lewd photos of himself to women via Twitter.
"When you get to the point where, because of various personal distractions, you can't serve as effectively as you need to, at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying the bills – then you should probably step back," Obama told Curry.
Monday marked the first time the White House commented publicly on Weiner's recent scandal. While on board Air Force Once during a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that Weiner's ordeal, now entering its third week in the media spotlight, was a "distraction."
"The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate; dishonesty was inappropriate," Carney said.
President Obama has class & honor. Something Weiner does not.
Obama is not Weiner. Thank goodness... I cannot imagine Michelle being as forgiving as Huma.
Through his example, President Obama has given the Democrats the right to claim the high moral ground. Clearly he and his wife are deeply devoted to each other. She clearly adores him and they have two beautiful and wonderfully well adjusted children.
Weiner's motives are nothing but selfish. They are not in the interests of his constiuents. As capable as Weiner may have been, that effectiveness has been diminished because folks can no longer trust his word. Other members of Congress won't take him at face value when working with him. There are millions of other people that can serve Brooklyn and Queens in Congress. It is lunacy for Weiner or anyone else to suggest he's the only one for the job.
It's the lie, not the sexting, that is the hinderance to his ability to do his job.
Of course it's a distraction, Weiner's got Fox news finally doing their job by not just pointing a finger at Weiner alone but at all politicians Republicans and Democrats involved in scandals, but I have to admit there are more Republicans. I know Fox hates doing this but it's all about saving face for Republicans in Washington who are demanding Weiner's resignation so they don't look like the hypocrits they are.
if i was obama i would have resigned along time ago. weiner should resign too.
I would rather have obama resign.
I don't know how "treatment" will help Weiner, but if you're a married person who engages in flirty or otherwise provacative behavior with strangers including sending pics of your bare body parts then you should NOT be a NY congressman or woman.
Leave it to the hyper partisan to take a story about Obama commenting Weiner and make it about Republican hypocrisy.
Weiner, you've got about 72 hours left to matyr yourself and hope to be able to run for some other office in the future. The bomb has already gone off. You can't diffuse it now.
On Friday, call a press conference. Resign and name names of Republicans that have committed unscrupulous, immoral, illegal, self serving acts. Challenge them, by name to follow your example. Challenge Vitter to resign for sleeping with prostitutes.
You will take the spotlight off yourself and put it on the GOP. The Democratic Party as a whole will secretly owe you one because you will have helped expose the Republican party to the masses and will have set them on a collision course in a game of chicken with you.
Imagine the impact. Romney, Huntsman, Pawlenty will all have to try to claim they are more pious than the next guy. With all the pandering they will do, the GOP won't be able to keep a winning coalition together. Then, when the next GOP sex scandal comes AND YOU KNOW IT IS, the Dems will be sitting pretty.
This is irrelevant because Obama isn't there. He didn't show off his body to adult women over the internet. There have been people who snap his picture on the beach. Weiner in only one of 435 members of the House; why is this important?
It looks bad on the people of each state who vote and sends their choice to Washington! The president is not our employer. Who got you your first job? It is a lot of people in the US that have got it wrong! Forget about. Who is sending pics! Who is working on lowering the price of gas? Employer's has given away jobs to workers that are not US citizens for cheap labor and has also moved their companies out of the United States! Did they ask you to relocate with them! If they didn't! They took your job with them.
I don't know what Anthony was thinking maybe back toward his college days! If one goes to rehab it has been known for some not to get full treatment! Look at Tiger, his game is off. You have to have a clear mind to be your own coach.
Why the heck don't you rsign. You do far worse things. Hate America, won't salute the flag instead you grab your nasty crotch, won't salute the National Anteum, embarrass our allies, disgust Israel and humiliate them. Bow and kis the muslim's hands. Take money from George Soros and his Orders. Friends of Ayers the terriost. Member of the Chicago maffia. Need I go further you scoundrel, lying fraud. PALIN 2012
Why the heck don't you rsign. You do far worse things. Hate America, won't salute the flag instead you grab your nasty crotch, won't salute the National Anteum, embarrass our allies, disgust Israel and humiliate them. Bow and kis the muslim's hands. Take money from George Soros and his Orders. Friends of Ayers the terriost. Member of the Chicago maffia. Need I go further you scoundrel, lying fraud. PALIN 2012 (THAT"S RIGHt cnn don"t post my comments)
bill
Why should Obama resign? Is because you don't like that Obama helped the US economy from loosing 750, 000 jobs a month, under GWB/Republican rule, to actually gaining jobs, albeit slower than I would like, for the past 15 months in a row. Is it because use a Republican idea to fix healthcare and the Republicans are rejecting their own idea. Is it because his team found and killed osama bin laden. Is because he has not be able to quickly restore the millions of jobs lost under the Bush recession. Is because he has not able to bring back the thousands of manufacturing companies that left the US, under Bush, between 2000- 2008.
GWB and his Republican crew crashed this economy in 8 years and you blame Obama. Obama turns the economy from negative to positive growth and you refuse to give him credit. I don't agree with everything Obama does or the why he does things, but I am not that stupid to believe that the alternative, which is the republican failed economic/foreign polices that got this country into this mess, really worked for this country in the past ten years.
If you don't like him because he is black, just say so. As a black man, I would understand your position: at least it would be honest.
Weiner should resign and go work for NBC where he can reach more people!!
Thank You Elephant In the Room & Kickin' Donkey for your excellent comments & Donkey,, I hope Weiner reads your suggestion & takes your advice! @ Thai, it doesn't take a "hyper partisan" to see the hypocracy the GOP has been spreading around, especially the past 2 years. From their own scandals to ragging on the President, to the job platform they snared the House with last year! Still no jobs, still ragging & pointing fingers! Both Dem. & Rep.citizens deserve better than this high-school behavior!