Did Weiner think he’d get away with it?

It's an old story, really. A politician, emboldened by power, crosses the line, lies about it and is humiliated in the harsh light of public exposure.

Each generation raises its own public officials who fail to learn the lessons of human frailty. Ours includes none other than the Elvis of infidelity, Bill Clinton, followed by the likes of Eliot Spitzer, Larry Craig, John Edwards, John Ensign and, most recently, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.

Hiding inappropriate behavior by spinning lies in this day of DNA, financial disclosure and the Internet is like banking on Columbo overlooking a stray detail. There's always a misdirected text message or the left-behind cell phone.

Smarter folks say that, deep down, such risky behavior has more to do with power than with sex. All I know is that when a public official gets his power caught in a wringer, the ensuing public frenzy reduces the reputations of the philanderer to little more than the butt of a late-night joke. Any achievements collected along the way become diminished or obliterated.

Brutal though it may be, that's the rule of the game. The exceptions are few and in the distant past -- Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin come quickly to mind.

Take Bill Clinton. He can trot the globe for peace and the alleviation of human suffering for the rest of his days. He can remain faithful to his wife for as long as he lives. But his obituary will, without doubt, reference Monica Lewinsky and her stained blue dress.

Former Nevada Sen. John Ensign, a younger man than Clinton, has a few more decades ahead of him to distinguish himself beyond his recent public disgrace. But even if he brokers peace in the Middle East, discovers unlimited water supplies for Las Vegas and single-handedly fixes the real estate collapse, his obituary will still include the bedding of his wife's best friend and the subsequent cover-up.

Even the fond memory of President John F. Kennedy -- martyred in office -- can't erase the reference to Marilyn Monroe in his biography.

If the rule applies to a giant like JFK, what makes lesser figures think they can cheat the game?

In Ensign's case, the fall was farther because of his public persona as a righteous man. He wore his born-again Christianity on his sleeve and used it to distinguish himself as a political figure.

Meanwhile, Weiner struck a more secular pose as a fighter for the progressive "truth." For him, it was his feisty denial that set him up for an even harder landing.

On May 27, a picture of a man's crotch is sent from Weiner's Twitter account. Weiner makes light of it, writing "Tivo shot. FB hacked. Is my blender gonna attack me next? #TheToasterIsVeryLoyal."

On May 29, the media get wind of the story, and Weiner says his Twitter and Facebook accounts were "obviously hacked."

On June 1, Weiner maintains he didn't send the photo but he can't "say with certitude" that the picture is not of him.

Then, on June 6, the conservative website BigGovernment.com publishes more photos and emails sent by the congressman. Other websites followed in great detail. That day, Weiner finally admits he sent the original photo and other sexually explicit photos to women he met on the Internet. He placed the number of women at six. He said he was pretty sure they were all over 21. (I'll bet it was some multiple of six. High-tech weenie wavers rarely get caught right out of the chute.)

The point is that in the span of 10 days, this guy soiled his political career. Forever. Why did he do it? What made him think he could get away with it?

Everyone has a dinner-table theory. Nobody has an answer.

Until we find one, I say we put a plaque above every urinal in the Capitol that says: "Fear the Weiner."

At least then the message, however briefly, touches both body and mind.

Sherman Frederick (sfrederick@reviewjournal.com), the former publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and a member of the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame, writes a column for Stephens Media. Read his blog at www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm.