Story highlights He's an example of a bad apple that makes politicians -- and, to be honest, people -- look bad

There's plenty of other intriguing people, places and things happening in politics

Washington (CNN) Former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty Friday morning to sending obscene materials -- in the form of sexual texts -- to a minor and agreed to register as a sex offender.

Weiner's plea agreement brings a close to the latest chapter in his increasingly appalling conduct in the years since he was forced to resign from Congress in June 2011 after a series of sexually explicit texts with women not his wife -- at the time top Hillary Clinton official Huma Abedin -- were discovered.

Over the intervening six years, Weiner attempted a political comeback by seeking the Democratic nomination in the New York mayor's race in 2013 but was, again, brought low by his increasingly cavalier decisions to share explicit photos of himself with women he met via social media sites. In January 2016, Weiner began one such exchange with a 15-year-old girl. Which brings us to his plea deal Friday.

Those are the facts. Now, can we please agree to just stop talking about Weiner?

Here's the thing: We know that Weiner craves attention -- even the negative kind. What else would explain his decision to allow documentary cameras into his slow-motion trainwreck mayoral campaign? (The resulting film -- appropriately titled "Weiner" -- is absolutely terrific, by the way.)

Read More