Its important for us all to understand the mindset of the enemy. They are the super-elite. The Uber-Nanny's. Men like Spitzer travel amidst a phalanx of armed guards, but don't want you to carry a gun for protection. They spend their entire lives drawing a line between the little people and the special ones such as themselves. The special ones who are ABOVE the rules.
So much for cleaning up Albany
"Yes, Spitzer has been convicted of nothing. But the level of specificity in the complaint is such that, as a practical matter, he can't possibly remain in office.
And that would be so even if he weren't carrying so much extra baggage.
Such as:
* The Dirty Tricks scandal, which saw top Spitzer aides sending the State Police to spy on Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Spitzer's precise complicity in the abuse of power remains unknown.
* His uncontrollable temper, best exemplified by his now-famous "I'm a [expletive] steamroller, and I will destroy you" tirade to Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco, not long before reportedly referring to Bruno, in the wake of the Dirty Tricks scandal, as "an old, senile piece of sh-
* His overt hypocrisy, like the encouragement of political donors looking to subvert the strict gift limits he so publicly set for himself.
At some point, a pattern emerges: Eliot Spitzer believes the rules don't apply to him - not even, apparently, those to be found in the federal criminal codes.
How else to explain the self-destructive behavior outlined in that federal affidavit - not only allegedly patronizing a prostitution ring, but also leaving a trail of phone calls, text messages, cellphone records and wire transactions?
But that, sad to say, is Eliot Spitzer.
A man who believes he is above everyone else - a man whose temperament renders him unable even to admit his faults, let alone correct them.
In his statement yesterday, Spitzer insisted that "politics, in the long run, is [not] about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York."
He's wrong, of course.
It is about individuals.
It is also about honor, integrity, sound judgment and basic common sense - all of which, sadly, are lacking in Eliot Spitzer.
This is more than a personal tragedy.
Spitzer took office 15 months ago after winning a near-record vote in the election; his approval ratings in his first weeks of office topped 70 percent.
New Yorkers, clearly, believed his promise that "Day One, everything changes."
But by last December, his approval rating in the polls had swung 180 degrees - 27 percent positive, 70 percent negative.
The reasons for this precipitous - and unprecedented - decline are clear:
His refusal to come clean on the Dirty Tricks scandal; his temper; his hypocrisy regarding campaign finance.
And now this.
It's significant that none of Spitzer's usual allies were coming to his defense in the wake of yesterday's astonishing disclosure.
For good reason: He can no longer function effectively as governor.
In the days following his landslide election victory, Eliot Spitzer made a promise to the people of New York: "We believe it is important to set a tone, to send a message and to lead by example."
Exactly.
A governor who is caught on tape negotiating a $4,300 deal for a call girl named "Kristen" can hardly lead by example.
Nor can he set the tone needed "to do the right thing for the people of New York."
Eliot Spitzer owes his wife and family an apology - but he owes the people of New York a great deal more.
His resignation. Now."
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