Former Rep. Anthony Weiner Had No Other Choice but to Resign, Right?

There are only two ways these things can end: the teary, reluctant resignation speech that clears the path for colleagues to get back to the important business at hand or the defiant stand and vow to fight on in the face of injustice.

In former Rep. Anthony Weiner's case, though, there was only really one choice. Literally caught with his pants down (I'll spare you any more lame double entendres about his hilariously unfortunate surname), Weiner had no other options than to step down.

Amid the heckling from Howard Stern staffers and the quizzical looks from confused elders at the senior center where he made his announcement on Thursday, Weiner finally ended the three-week ordeal that was the late-night comedian's equivalent to holding Mardi Gras at the Super Bowl during the "American Idol" finale while a reunited ABBA played house band.

Unlike other political wang-wavers in similar situations, Weiner felt he had to give up the fight and just take the fall. He was caught red-handed, the social media maven taken down by the very medium he endlessly championed. The evidence was everywhere, everyone was talking, the embarrassing images stared at him from every screen and every newsstand, and once the allegations surfaced that a minor may have been involved, well … some things are unforgivable.

The fact that he didn't actually have physical sex with any of his digital paramours was almost beside the point. The offer of a job from "Hustler" lord Larry Flynt didn't help either, even though the famed pornographer swore he was making a legitimate offer to the disgraced New York pol to join his online company at a rate that is 20 percent higher than Weiner's congressional salary.

Weiner proved that more than underage pages, bathroom stall foot tapping, affairs with aides or allegedly hectoring wives, it's online dalliances that are the deadliest because they leave an indisputable digital paper trail. And nobody is buying that "hacking" excuse anymore.

As Politico noted, dozens of politicians have been caught stepping out, but the key in Weiner's case was the one thing most of those others didn’t have: photographs.

But did Weiner really have to give up his office?

Republican Sen. David Vitter was busted in a prostitution scandal in 2007 and managed to stay popular with his constituents and get re-elected last fall. Foot-tapping Republican Sen. Larry Craig served out his term rather quietly after refusing to resign despite an arrest for soliciting another man in the Minneapolis airport.

President Bill Clinton defiantly held on after splitting fibers over his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky, but former Republican Rep. Mark Foley had to throw in the towel after he was caught sending suggestive IM's to male pages in 2006. And earlier this year Republican Rep. Chris Lee of New York quickly stepped down after getting caught sending shirtless photos to an online mistress.

It didn't help that Weiner wasn't that well-liked by his colleagues, or frankly, many of his constituents. He was described as sort of a "loner" in the House, a status confirmed when few of his fellow Democrats came to his defense.

He could have held out, gone to treatment and stood defiant in the face of the allegations. It might have worked and it could have potentially made his detractors love him a little more for showing such strength. It would have made for great political theater and while distracting to his efforts in the House, Weiner could have looked to such ignoble inspirations as Craig for lessons in how to hold on and keep your head down until the next scandal wave crashes.

As despicable as his cyber-cheating was, I would have loved to watch Weiner fight it out, if only to see the strategy involved in rehabilitating such a political laughingstock.

But let's be honest, it was all the above-mentioned factors, plus the Rep.'s tabloid headline-punchline name that made it impossible for him to hold on. And if we learn nothing else from this scandal (and trust me, nobody in Washington has, because it will happen again), we will remember the strength of social media for both good and, well, stupid.

Mark my words. Weiner will be back. Just ask Eliot Spitzer.

Do you think Rep. Anthony Weiner had to resign?