UPDATE 11:49 a.m. -- "My private failings"? He used that phrase twice. But crime is not a "private failing," and prostitution is a crime -- to say nothing of the suspected money-laundering that led to this revelation. Will update. ... UPDATE NOON -- In many ways, Spitzer's resignation statement was classy, and notably lacked the kind of "accuse the accusers" tactic that Bill Clinton taught us to expect from Democrats caught red-handed.
However, Spitzer's repeated use of the phrase "my private failings" was a dishonest evasion. What would Spitzer, as a former prosecutor, say about an accused dope dealer who spoke of his crime as a "private failing"?
In patronizing prostitutes, Spitzer was engaged in a criminal act. Crime is an offense against the citizenry, which is why the prosecution of Spitzer for federal money laundering charges -- if such a prosecution is indeed pursued -- will be called "United States vs. Spitzer." And no crime can be more public than a crime committed by a powerful public official, such as the governor of New York.
In his statement, Spitzer spoke of the importance of taking responsibility, yet in the same statement, by using the term "private failings" to describe his crime, he engaged in a rhetorical attempt to evade full responsibility.
UPDATE 12:30 p.m. -- Jan LaRue, writing for the Culture and Media Institute (CMI), reacts similarly to the "private failings" bit and then goes much further:
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has joined the rogue's gallery of adulterous politicians who appear before the press to confess their "failures" while using their wives as supportive props. . . .Ouch. Well-said, Dr. LaRue.
Even if the wife wants to be there, you'd think they'd have the guts to stand alone and take the heat. It would feel less egregious if he hired another "escort" for the occasion. ...
But the wife is there because the wimp's personal ambitions and desire for public rehabilitation apparently outweigh his desire for marital reconciliation. . . .
Public officials who hire a hooker haven't merely committed a "private" failure. These are people who swear an oath to uphold the law but have violated the public trust. Consorting with criminals opens the door to extortion and bribery.
And to any wife who appears as a prop beside her meandering man because she values status, power, and a lucrative lifestyle more than her self-respect, you might want to reflect on the message you're sending your children.
UPDATE 1 p.m.: Jammie Wearing Fool has what he believes to be an image of a (not safe for work) ad for "Kristen," Gov. Whorehopper's Feb. 13 tryst. My first impression? She's lying about being 105 pounds; judging from the photo, she's at least 115 pounds, if not 120. My advice to Democratic politicians: Beware of hookers who lie about such trival details.
Meanwhile, City Room has the full text of Spitzer's statement.
I'll have to stop blogging for the day now, since I must prepare for Reason Magazine's Cuba policy event with Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), where I'll excoriate Dave Weigel for not linking my blog in his Spitzer roundup and apologize to Kerry Howley for my harsh tone in last night's post. (Hey, it's not just Spitzer who has "private failings.")
** Earlier **
Wed., March 12, 10:20 a.m. -- Fox News morning anchors now babbling idiotically. But that's not news. The chryon at the bottom of the screen, however -- "Spitzer to resign at 11:30 a.m." -- that's news, buddy. Via Memeorandum, New York Post reports the same. Will update. ...10:40 a.m. -- Fox News just interviewed Rep. Peter King (R-Schadenfreude), who could barely contain his glee. By the way, here's a link to my long analysis blog from yesterday, "Whores and NY Democrats." Stay tuned for more updates. ...
10:50 a.m. -- This is the kind of story, frankly, where I'd rather be blogging it than covering it as news. Everybody already knows how the story ends, and you could go ahead and set the headline now:
Spitzer resigns, blames 'right wing' for scandalA print reporter could cover this thing by watching it on TV. The poor shlubs who are physically present for the New York press conference are just there to provide the immediacy of an on-the-scene dateline and a bit of "color." I pity them.
More updates to come ....
11:10 a.m. -- Plans for an 11 a.m. update got scratched when I got a call from an old friend in Atlanta. Well, she's more than just an "old friend," but I wouldn't want her husband to beat me up. (A joke! That's just a joke, Mr. Fields!)
Fox News was just showing a helicopter shot of a black SUV pulled up in front of the apartment building where Spitzer's "brief announcement" is supposed to take place in 20 minutes.
More updates to come ....
11:20 a.m. -- While waiting for Gov. Whorehopper's much-anticipated resignation, I was reading Kimberly Strassel's Wall Street Journal column about on the Gov's media enablers:
Journalists have spent the past two days asking how a man of Mr. Spitzer's stature would allow himself to get involved in a prostitution ring. The answer, in my mind, is clear. The former New York attorney general never believed normal rules applied to him, and his view was validated time and again by an adoring press. "You play hard, you play rough, and hopefully you don't get caught," said Mr. Spitzer two years ago. He never did get caught, because most reporters were his accomplices. . . .Read the whole thing. Well, not right now. We're 10 minutes away from a historic occasion, complete with historic amounts of cable-news hype.
Expect further updates . . .
11:30 a.m. -- More babbling from Fox News talking heads while Gov. Whorehopper's motorcade is en route. This is the part of 24/7 cable news I hate the most: The big live-coverage deal, where they just keep up a nonstop chatter in order to fill the time. It's annoying, if you're literate enough to read for yourself the same news articles the TV people are referencing.
Expect further updates . . .
11:35 a.m. -- The planned 11:30 press conference delayed by traffic in Midtown Manhattan. I guess I should point out that I'm not hammering on Fox News specifically, but as a generic example of the idiotic babbling common on all TV news channels when they're just filling time while covering live news. I'm sure the talking heads on CNN and MSNBC are equally annoying right now, if not more so.
Expect further updates . . .
11:40 a.m. -- OK, they're getting ready to start. The Fox News babe just asked Rich Lowry, "Could [Spitzer] have stayed on?" Duh.
Expect further updates . . .
The Strassel piece was excellent...she's always on target.
ReplyDeleteI'm still kind of shocked by the whole thing, especially Silda's "stand-by-your-man" thing.
He may be right on Cuba policy, but Jeff Flake has his own prostitute problem, as I've noted on my blog.
ReplyDelete