How could I not blog about this?
Governor Spitzer of New York was caught with his pants down yesterday as news leaked out about a federal investigation of a prostitution ring. In turns out Governor Spitzer was a patron of this ring and had been wiretapped soliciting a prostitute from the business. This is the same Spitzer who, as Attorney General of New York, prosecuted such prostitution rings because of their ties to organized crime.
Well, well, well!
Spitzer isn't even a Republican and there are cries for him to resign. This rarely happens to Democrats. Bill Clinton got away with sex with an intern in the White House and then lying under oath. William Jefferson (D-LA) seems to have gotten away with stuffing $100,000 in his freezer. He's under federal investigation for this, but there he is, still serving in the House of Representatives. I guess there's a double-standard for Democrats. What about Barney Franks (D-MA), openly gay, whose partner was running a prostitution business from their home? The last time I checked he was still there, getting re-elected time after time. Democrats seem to have a penjant for looking the other way when it concerns one of their own.
Yesterday I heard James Carville say on CNN that people shouldn't make a big deal of it if it was one of two times. Today I heard some say that this wouldn't be a big deal if prostitution was legal and that it should be legalized. (Hmmm. I'll bet murder wouldn't be that big a deal if only it was legalized!)
Spitzer is probably not going to survive this because according to press reports he's been patronizing this particular ring since 2002 and has spent somewhere around $80,000. And there's something a little fishy with these payments; they were moved around accounts. And to make it even worse these reports hint at Sptizer requesting some "special" activities of the prostitutes. Now that is truly too much information, but no one with half a brain can stick his head in the sand and say it doesn't matter.
I imagine Spitzer may be trying to figure out how to salvage his political career. I don't think he can. He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for president in the future. Will the people forget or will something like this actually become "no big deal" in the future?
It is almost a given that Spitzer is a sexual addict. Men don't spend $80,000 on hookers unless it's a compulsion. A gambler who has just lost $80,000 gambling is compulsive. Bill O'Reilly thinks Spitzer was wanting to get caught because he's self-destructive. I disagree. Yes, he's self-destructive as any addict is. But I doubt he wanted to get caught. I doubt he thought he would ever be caught. But there it is. Monday he was at a place he never thought he would be.
I pity his poor wife who had to stand at his side during a painful news conference. Most of all I feel so sorry for his children. It's too bad he didn't think twice before putting them all in this nightmarish situation.
Most of all I pity the citizens whose country is, as Robert Bork writes, is "Slouching Toward Gomorrah."
