There is something about the ever-tawdrier Elliot Spitzer train wreck that comes right out of a Greek tragedy. Spitzer made a name for himself fighting corruption on Wall Street and in New York politics. So what does he go and do? Patronize a high-priced "escort agency" for years and shuffle money around to shell companies to try and hide it.
There is more than a whiff of rank hypocrisy in Spitzer's actions, considering how he so carefully cultivated his two-fisted "Mr. Clean" reformer image. He was a popular rising star in the Democratic Party, and he blows it all for some very expensive nookie.
Of course, this just goes to show that hypocrisy, not to mention testosterone-driven stupidity, is wholly bipartisan. After all, the Republicans have David Vitter, the family-values Bible-thumper who was a repeat client of the "DC Madam" agency. It should be pointed out, however, that the GOP closed ranks to protect Vitter when his indiscretions were revealed last summer. Just like they also protected Mark Foley, who preyed on male Congressional pages for years with the full knowledge of the party hierarchy, until the mess was made public shortly before the 2006 elections.
Spitzer, however, can count on precisely no support from New York's Democrats, and a poll says two-thirds of New Yorkers say he should resign. He broke the law and did it big time.
Amazingly, the only thing close to support he's getting is from right-wing radio host and professional scold Laura Schlessinger. She blames not Spitzer but his wife, saying she failed to "make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like her hero." Go figure.
After a 48-hour feeding frenzy, Spitzer resigned this morning, apparently in exchange for not facing federal charges. (Although patronizing a call girl is not illegal in New York, he is subject to indictment under the federal Mann Act because he paid for one to travel across state lines for a rendezvous.) How sad.
There is more than a whiff of rank hypocrisy in Spitzer's actions, considering how he so carefully cultivated his two-fisted "Mr. Clean" reformer image. He was a popular rising star in the Democratic Party, and he blows it all for some very expensive nookie.
Of course, this just goes to show that hypocrisy, not to mention testosterone-driven stupidity, is wholly bipartisan. After all, the Republicans have David Vitter, the family-values Bible-thumper who was a repeat client of the "DC Madam" agency. It should be pointed out, however, that the GOP closed ranks to protect Vitter when his indiscretions were revealed last summer. Just like they also protected Mark Foley, who preyed on male Congressional pages for years with the full knowledge of the party hierarchy, until the mess was made public shortly before the 2006 elections.
Spitzer, however, can count on precisely no support from New York's Democrats, and a poll says two-thirds of New Yorkers say he should resign. He broke the law and did it big time.
Amazingly, the only thing close to support he's getting is from right-wing radio host and professional scold Laura Schlessinger. She blames not Spitzer but his wife, saying she failed to "make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like her hero." Go figure.
After a 48-hour feeding frenzy, Spitzer resigned this morning, apparently in exchange for not facing federal charges. (Although patronizing a call girl is not illegal in New York, he is subject to indictment under the federal Mann Act because he paid for one to travel across state lines for a rendezvous.) How sad.
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