Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) sent shockwaves through Washington
when his office issued the following statement on Monday:
It is with great shame and humility
that I acknowledge that when I was a college undergraduate I had a poster of
Farrah Fawcett on my wall -- the one in the red bathing suit. I wish I could say that I purchased the
poster to honor Ms. Fawcett’s talent as an actress, or to celebrate the woman-affirming
energy she brought to her role on Charlie’s Angels. But I must be honest: I saw
the poster primarily as an object of my unreasonable expectations of what a
sexually attractive woman should look like.
Moreover, when male friends visited my room I sometimes invited them to
focus and comment on particular body parts and to speculate what they might do
if Ms. Fawcett were to invite them into her bedroom.
Since then, I have tried to be a
stalwart voice for women’s rights and empowerment, but I now realize that my
past makes it impossible for me to continue in that role. Therefore, I immediately announce my
resignation from the United States Senate.
I will continue to try to make amends for my past transgressions.
Asked to comment on Casey’s resignation, Senator Claire
McCaskill (D-MO) replied, “Really? A
poster? What’s the big deal?”
