Marbury: rahm in the raw

I don't know if you've been following the story of Eric Massa, a Democratic congressman who has just resigned over a charge of sexual harassment from a male staffer, but it's a goodie. Here's his account of what happened (he resigned before facing an ethics investigation):

At a staffer's New Year's Eve wedding, he engaged in sexually charged banter with male staffers about the bridesmaids, and a junior aide suggested the lawmaker make a pass at one woman, Massa said. He added that he responded: "What I really ought to be doing is fracking you. And then [I] tousled the guy's hair and left, went to my room, because I knew the party was getting to a point where it wasn't right for me to be there." Massa denied on the radio show that he is gay. "Ask my wife -- I think she can answer that question," he said.

Hmm, I'm not sure the "I'm married" defence carries much water these days, even (especially) in Washington. But anyway - not the most egregious of offences, suggestive as that anecdote is. What makes the story really interesting is the politics. Massa was an outspoken opponent of the health bill and is being touted by conservatives as a victim of the Democrats' cut-throat approach to legislating (now that he's gone the Dems need one less "yes" vote in the House). Limbaugh and Beck are both championing him as a heroic enemy of tyranny. Near the centre of this is Rahm, of course. There are two bits of tape, one audio, one video, which give us an insight into the Rahm style (as well as what a prat Massa is). One of them is here (hat tip reader SLR). It's Massa's telling of how a naked Rahm berated him in the House showers (Massa's boiling excitement in retelling the story is palpable). My favourite, however, is this scene from documentary that was made about Massa's first campaign for the House in 2006. When Rahm makes his entrance, you'll swear you're watching a scene from The Godfather. (He reappears around the four minute mark).