Anthony Weiner Takes 'Full Responsibility' ... Whatever That Means : Monkey See : NPR

Anthony Weiner Takes 'Full Responsibility' ... Whatever That Means : Monkey See : NPR: "What does it mean to 'take responsibility'?

This question came up a few weeks ago when Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would 'take responsibility for the hurt [he] had caused' by fathering a child with a member of his household staff and keeping it a secret from his wife for more than 10 years. It returned yesterday when Rep. Anthony Weiner announced in a teary, cringe-inducing press conference that yes, he tweeted a lewd photo of himself to a woman last week in a misbegotten attempt to send it to her privately, and then lied repeatedly while trying to keep people from finding out. Oh, and by the way — she wasn't the only one.

'I came here to accept the full responsibility for what I've done,' he said. The phrase is almost always one of the basic elements of the confessional press conference, and even more so the sex-confessional press conference. But what does it mean?"