God's Other Son aka Eliot Spitzer

You know it really isn’t the sex. Sure Americans are still fixated on what many consider illicict sex — prostitution, affairs by married folks, cheeky interns and presidents with over-large appetites. In fact — maybe Eliot Spitzer falls into the Clinton catagory in a way — ego plus appetite plus the “God’s other son” syndrome as my long ago former collegue Peggy Noonan so aptly put it. I guess quite a few Presidents (and leaders of other countries too) fall into that “I am so important I can get away with anything” catagory. But Spitzer was different. He was such a zealot in his prosecutions; he was so holier-than-thou in his public pronouncements; he went after people in an almost gleeful way - beyond the legal necessity. You got the feeling he was laughing wildly behind the scenes as he attacked individuals and prostitution rings like the one which finally tripped him up. Even his resignation statement was goody goody two shoes. As if all the tawdryness he has been a part of had never happened.

As I write I am listening to NY Democratic Senator Charles Schumer saying ” your heart has to go out to the Governor and his wife etc.”. No way! His wife — maybe; unless she choses to tell us we won’t know why she stood publically by him for both of his post-prostitution statements. I’m sure there’s much we’ll never know. But if Spitzer hadn’t come on like God’s other son — he might have been able to weather some of this. Maybe he’d still have to resign as Governor; but the shock wouldn’t have been as great and perhaps he could have salvaged something of his public life. I doubt that’s possible now. I think people hate hypocrites most of all. And Spitzer is now the poster child for hypocrisy. Next to him — our former President’s stupidity looks more like - well - just stupidity.