Fox Sports ran a poll this weekend on the current Michael Phelps/Bong smoking scenario. They asked, "How do you feel about Michael Phelps smoking a bong?' The results were interesting, considering the repercussions from US Swimming and his sponsors. 22% of the 546,965 respondents said, "I'm dismayed, I can't believe he would do that!' The other 78% said, 'He's 23 years old, can we all relax?'

Personally, I find the whole thing rather ridiculous. You'd think after seeing so many public figures fall, we'd finally figure out it simply comes with the territory. Any one of us, in the wrong situation, at the wrong time, in our particular area of weakness, will inevitably screw up. I'm just waiting for the day it happens to Obama. It will come, it has to.

I guess in some way, we all want a hero or a champion - someone more principled and more noble than ourselves to look up to. To be honest, I'm not sure there's really such a thing. We all come with varying degrees of light and dark, shadow and transparency. And we may as well admit it and expect it in ourselves and each other.

As for Michael, he'll probably need another bong to get through this intact. Nothing is quite so devastating as believing you're a disappointment to someone...