Chris Lee and 3 Other Politicians Stung by Technology

For politicians in the digital age, going viral can prove to be either a sign of success or a warning that a career is about to end.

Rep. Chris Lee discovered the latter today after exchanges with a woman he met on Craigslist, including a photo of himself bare-chested, were published by Gawker. The viral storm that ensued was so great that, hours after the story broke, Lee resigned from office.

But Lee is not the first politician to be felled by an encounter with technology. Though Surge Desk realizes that computers, camcorders, cell phones and the like are merely a means to an end, and not the causes of improper behavior, we've put together the following roundup of recent information-era casualties.

1. George Allen
Running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Virginia Republican George Allen put his foot squarely into his mouth by addressing a videographer hired by opponent Jim Webb as "macaca." Of course, said videographer, S.R. Sidarth, was recording the comments, and after the footage was posted on YouTube it quickly went viral. The momentum in the race shifted to Webb, ending Allen's time in the Senate.

2. Kwame Kilpatrick
After thousands of romantic text messages between Kwame Kilpatrick, the former Democratic mayor of Detroit, and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, were published by the Detroit Free Press, Kilpatrick resigned in disgrace.

3. Mark Foley
Just as video posted to YouTube and cell phone records are incredibly difficult to make fully disappear, ordinary e-mail correspondence leaves a trail that can become a politician's undoing. Former Republican Congressman Mark Foley's written messages -- e-mails and instant messages -- to teenage male pages proved the end to his career back in 2006.

More coverage from Surge Desk:
Meet Chris Lee, the Married Former Congressman
Rep. Chris Lee Resigns After Shirtless Craigslist Photo Controversy