There's something about all the journalist faux-horror surrounding the alleged Newt Gingrich swimsuit photo that leaves us a bit uncomfortable. Commenter Eoghan01 nailed it, even making us reexamine our own wording to make sure it wasn't guilty of the sins Eoghan01 identified:

[sarcasm]Yes, I completely agree: fat, pasty people are revolting and pictures of them topless are gag-inducing. Newt Gingrich should be ashamed of having a plus-size body![/sarcasm]

Seriously, though, I don't see the connection between someone invading Gingrich's privacy by posting a private picture of (someone who is ostensibly) him and Anthony Weiner sending pictures of himself out on Twitter. These photo's of Gincgrich aren't particularly salacious, don't constitute a betrayal of his spouse, and really lack any of the key elements of the Weiner story.

I loathe Gingrich politically and think he's personally morally bankrupt, but are we really going to start mocking him for being fat while sunbathing near someone with a camera?

Fair enough. Thanks for reading, everyone. And be sure to check out Open Wire, where you can share links, feedback, and opinions on the stories you think we should be covering.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at hhorn at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Heather Horn