Spitzer is (apparently] toast

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The same urge that drives men to seek and acquire political power routinely manifests, as history has shown us for centuries, in appetites for the company of women outside the bounds of marriage and Christian propriety. As Norman Mailer once suggested about the incessant catting around attributed to John F. Kennedy, "He probably thought that one wasn't any good without the other." It's very common, very typical, very no-big-deal. Read a history book. Read "Plutarch's Lives." Consider how Europeans deal with such reports when they come up.

Still, the breaking news that New York governor Eliot Spitzer will soon make a public admission about having been "involved" in a prostitution ring, the word "involved" apparently being a euphemism for having paid for the services of a high-class hooker, is a bit of a mind-blower, given his reformist/crime-fighting credentials. As an MSNBC commentator just said, "He was Mr. Straight-Arrow ...he was Eliot Ness."

A New York Times story by Danny Rakim and William H. Rashbaum says that "a person with knowledge of the governor's role [in the scandal] said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified in court papers as "client #9" of the Emperors Club VIP, a high-priced service that was busted a few days ago with offered prices of $1000 to $5500 a pop.

"The governor's travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February, [and that] one of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13," the Times story says.

Given reports that federal prosecutors have copies of text messages sent by Spitzer "requesting a meeting" with an Emperors Club rep or "service provider" (according to televised reports), it may be that a self-destructive urge was merged in this instance with the usual-usual. In the final analysis it was a personal mistake that didn't involve corruption or financial wrong-doing or overt criminality. He was just a "john." An incredibly stupid move, but in the realm of political misconduct this is a misdemeanor-level thing.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 10, 2008 at 11:28 AM

comment #1

PerfectTommy says ...

For some reason you seemed to neglect to mention Spitzer's party affliation.

Posted by PerfectTommy at March 10, 2008 12:02 PM

comment #2

Trashcan Jack says ...

PerfectTommy, give Wells some credit. He showed more restraint than I would have by not pointing out that Spitzer has been a prominent Clinton supporter.

Can he survive this (if true)?

Posted by Trashcan Jack at March 10, 2008 12:05 PM

comment #3

Doug Pratt says ...

Yeah, it's usually Republicans that have to pay for it.

Posted by Doug Pratt at March 10, 2008 12:06 PM

comment #4

PerfectTommy says ...

And off topic - why in your Oscar balloon do you have "Horton Hears a Who" (with discouraging trailers) for Best Animated when Pixar has a film ("Wall-E") coming out? I thought the Academy rules clearly stated that if a Pixar film is out they automatically receive the Best Animated Oscar.

Posted by PerfectTommy at March 10, 2008 12:07 PM

comment #5

Mumbleboy says ...

Eliot may be a democrat involved with a prostitution ring. I guess that means we can be pretty sure he hired a woman and didn't want to wear a diaper.

Posted by Mumbleboy at March 10, 2008 12:08 PM

comment #6

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Perfect Tommy: I just put up the '08 Oscar Balloon. I'm looking to sharpen and improve as I go along. As it says on the Balloon, all disputations and suggestion are welcome.

Posted by gruver1 at March 10, 2008 12:10 PM

comment #7

Dave says ...

HYPOCRISY!!!

Sorry, I just had to say the word, as someone would have said it sooner or later.

Alas, intellectual consistency demands that I ridicule those who believe that hypocrisy is the worst of all sins, regardless of the party affiliation of those who are so accused.

Personally, I'd rather see prostitution legal. But what I want and what the law says are two different things.

Too bad for his wife and kids.

Posted by Dave at March 10, 2008 12:12 PM

comment #8

PerfectTommy says ...

Thanks, Wells.

And it looks, Trashcan, like the "if true" caveat on the Spitzer story can be put to rest:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VAO6P80&show_article=1

Posted by PerfectTommy at March 10, 2008 12:13 PM

comment #9

christian says ...

Not good at all for Spitzer.

But one thing to bear in mind is that it's the Republicans who strive to legislate bedroom morality. They're trying to actually ban dildos in Texas for a start...

Posted by christian at March 10, 2008 12:17 PM

comment #10

K. Bowen says ...

Hilary has got to be sweating bullets about the identities of clients 1-8.

Posted by K. Bowen at March 10, 2008 12:19 PM

comment #11

T. S. Idiot says ...

I'm sure my pal Spitz, were he not otherwise occupied, would join me in wondering why Wells has such high hopes for The Duchess. The trailer looks like an ordinary costumer. What has Wells heard?

Posted by T. S. Idiot at March 10, 2008 12:31 PM

comment #12

Crow T Robot says ...

You know, Zemeckis' Beowulf was all about the connection between politicians and pussy and how it almost always catches up to them.

Posted by Crow T Robot at March 10, 2008 12:38 PM

comment #13

Howlingman says ...

And somewhere in Manhattan, Lou Dobbs is masterbating himself into a diabetic coma with the news.

Posted by Howlingman at March 10, 2008 12:41 PM

comment #14

le corbeau says ...

If Spitzer was diddling an intern, that could be a private matter.

If Spitzer had broken the law and picked up a hooker like Hugh Grant, you might be able to argue that even that was a private matter, or at least a personal crime that didn't rise to the level of requiring resignation.

But you have a governor and former district attorney who is a known client of an international prostitution ring which is, it seems safe to say, connected to organized crime by definition. Ultimately that has less to do with sex than with who he put himself in the power of. That is a monumental breach of public trust that absolutely impinges on your ability to perform your office faithfully, and deserves to end anyone's career.

Posted by le corbeau at March 10, 2008 12:41 PM

comment #15

MAGGA says ...

Feminism in the US might take a leap forward with Hillary, in some people's opinions, but banning dildos is quite a slap in the face.

Posted by MAGGA at March 10, 2008 12:46 PM

comment #16

Dave says ...

"If Spitzer was diddling an intern, that could be a private matter."

Dude, don't concede that. You don't get to diddle your intern in corporate America, no reason you should get to diddle the intern in government.

In fact, you DON'T get to diddle your internt in government, either. Not in the federal government, not in our regulations. You can have relationships with co-workers, you can have relationships with superiors or underlings outside of your chain of authority, but within your chain, you most definitely CAN'T diddle up and down the line.

Just a reminder.

Posted by Dave at March 10, 2008 12:51 PM

comment #17

George Prager says ...

Apparently, Republican Senators David Vitter and Larry Craig are still in office.

Posted by George Prager at March 10, 2008 12:52 PM

comment #18

Arizona Joe says ...

The prostitution scandal is the exclamation point on a series of gaffes by Spitzer: his staff attempted to smear a Republican opponent, he backed down on prosecuting corporate malfeasance after pressure from Wall Street, and then he gauchely floated the idea of drivers licenses for illegal aliens, and withdrew the plan fitfully.

I don't know how somebody so bright, accomplished, and battle tested can screw up so badly. It's like his Harvard Law education and legal victories went right out the window.

Yes, Americans are a naive and puritanical when it comes to politicians and their sex lives. But now with this crowning achievement after the other unbelievable faux pas and deviations, Spitzer's lack of judgment and circumspection now must be called into question, to say the least.

It's a short drop from the penthouse to the outhouse.

Posted by Arizona Joe at March 10, 2008 1:01 PM

comment #19

Howlingman says ...

Politics have no relation to morals, Arizona Joe.

Posted by Howlingman at March 10, 2008 1:10 PM

comment #20

George Prager says ...

If Spitzer resigns a legally blind black man becomes Governor.

Posted by George Prager at March 10, 2008 1:17 PM

comment #21

George Prager says ...

James Earl Jones is....THE MAN!!!!!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4hNZxsHaNW0

Posted by George Prager at March 10, 2008 1:20 PM

comment #22

AbeGoldfarb says ...

I think the key here is not a party affiliation, really, but the fact that usually, those who get caught with their pants down (prostitutes, soliciting gay sex in public toilets) are those who wish to legislate bedroom morality. Spitzer fucked up. It's a direct contradiction of his actions as legislator. I'm not surprised he did it, I'm just surprised he got caught.

Having said that, most of the people who would tell us what we can and can't do with our privates are Conservative. Spitzer is a curious exception.

Posted by AbeGoldfarb at March 10, 2008 1:20 PM

comment #23

115thDreamer says ...

Perfect photo on CNN home page at the moment - Spitzer & wife at his press conference. Spitzer looks like he's trying to swallow his face, while the wife looks heavily medicated....and the American flag in the background. USA! USA! The headline writes itself - 'SPITZER SWALLOWS'!!!

Posted by 115thDreamer at March 10, 2008 1:24 PM

comment #24

George Prager says ...

How long before this guy gets nailed?

http://bp0.blogger.com/_NUZ_fM-TQKQ/R9WO0RhMdBI/AAAAAAAAFAI/ScFno4Y_7FQ/s1600-h/rove_arrested.jpg

Posted by George Prager at March 10, 2008 1:26 PM

comment #25

George Prager says ...

Time to watch KLUTE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oxku8Z7uXTg

Posted by George Prager at March 10, 2008 1:29 PM

comment #26

rocco says ...

The Governor of NY has to PAY for sex? Really? I know the guy makes Callabus from 'Clash of the Titans' look handsome, but still, come on...

Anyone who's been in NY for a long time knows that Spitzer was/is an opportunistic douchebag with no real values...this is not surprising at all.

Like others have said, I feel sorry for his family. F him. It's one thing to learn of infidelity privately, but for it to be so public must be unbareable. And then there's the health issue.

Posted by rocco at March 10, 2008 1:36 PM

comment #27

rocco says ...

*make that Calibos

Posted by rocco at March 10, 2008 1:37 PM

comment #28

christian says ...

Didn't Rod Serling write THE MAN?

Posted by christian at March 10, 2008 1:41 PM

comment #29

le corbeau says ...

Well, Dave, concede it or not, it bothers me less than crimefighter Elliot Spitzer willfully seeking out a honey trap run by the mob and volunteering to put his whole career and ambition in their hands. That's stupidity on a scale beyond almost any reckoning.

Posted by le corbeau at March 10, 2008 1:57 PM

comment #30

Wrecktum says ...

I've always been very interested in the high-price call girl game (not as a participant, but simply an observer). Exactly what do you get for $5,500? Is it mindblowingly hot pussy or pretty much the same thing as $1,000? Do you get a slamming girl for $1,000 and the extra $4,500 is for additional costs like S/M or anal? And how hot are these girls? Model types? What if I paid $5,500 for explosive sex from a model and it turns out she's shitty in bed?

Posted by Wrecktum at March 10, 2008 2:31 PM

comment #31

K. Bowen says ...

He apparently prosecuted prostitution rings. The question comes up, was he doing that to wipe out the competition for the people who could expose him? IF this is true, he put himself into a spot where he was (and might still be) subject to blackmail, possibly by organized crime. That's the #1 reason that he cannot continue.

Posted by K. Bowen at March 10, 2008 2:51 PM

comment #32

le corbeau says ...

Well, Wrecktum, I'm not speaking from any more experience with $5000 call girls than you are, but as I understand it from talk radio today, the prices were tied to a rating system (who, precisely, did the rating is an open question), so if you paid $5500, you would get BOTH a smoking hot model type AND skills in bed that would blow your little Harvard Law-educated mind, apparently. That's what the 7-diamond rating guarantees, or your money back, governor!

Posted by le corbeau at March 10, 2008 3:02 PM

comment #33

T. Holly says ...

Late to the party, thank goodness for screen grabs.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-emperorsclub,0,5634101.photogallery

Posted by T. Holly at March 10, 2008 3:08 PM

comment #34

The Hoyk says ...

Why am I thinking of the old joke about the Vegas gambler and the high-priced hooker who, when she quotes $5000 for an HJ and $7500 for a BJ, keeps pointing out how she has so many rich clients who will pay those rates, and when the gambler asks if she demands $15,000 for full intercourse, replies, "Well, I would if I had a pussy."

Posted by The Hoyk at March 10, 2008 3:59 PM

comment #35

dangovich says ...

Maybe he believed the high prices would buy him some secrecy.

Also, didn't the Corleones gain control of that Nevada Congressman by murdering a hooker he had been with?

Posted by dangovich at March 10, 2008 5:44 PM

comment #36

cm65 says ...

I'm wondering what the headline in tomorrow's New York Post might be. "PANTSLESS GUV IN TROUBLE WITH THE BAR", maybe? Any other guesses?

Posted by cm65 at March 10, 2008 5:53 PM

comment #37

D.Z. says ...

Dave: "HYPOCRISY!!!"

Not really, since unlike Republicans, he didn't run on a platform saying his opponent endorsed that kind of thing.

rocco: "Anyone who's been in NY for a long time knows that Spitzer was/is an opportunistic douchebag with no real values..."

Yeah, why can't he use 9/11 to run for the Presidency?

Mgmax: "Well, Dave, concede it or not, it bothers me less than crimefighter Elliot Spitzer willfully seeking out a honey trap run by the mob and volunteering to put his whole career and ambition in their hands. That's stupidity on a scale beyond almost any reckoning."

But if Jimmy Swaggart does it, it's fine and dandy.

Posted by D.Z. at March 10, 2008 8:47 PM

comment #38

le corbeau says ...

D.Z., for God's sake, look at what I wrote before you spit something out on autopilot, would you? I'm specifically downplaying the importance of the sex to make a point about how Spitzer did something reckless in getting involved with mobsters who could squeeze him. And your response is, "If Jimmy Swaggart had sex like that it wouldn't bother you," as if I was getting all hung up on the sex. Is Jimmy Swaggart an elected official? Did he have dealings with the Mob? How does that relate in any way to my point? Honestly, I write pretty clearly, it's not that hard to follow what I say, if you must respond actually read it and think up a cogent, on-point reply instead of just shitting out a canned response about Donald Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand or Katrina or whatever.

Posted by le corbeau at March 10, 2008 9:36 PM

comment #39