Blog written by Morgan Smith
I was upset and shocked earlier this week to learn that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, made an announcement about his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. Normally, If I hear breaking news about something such as this, the information is from Drudge or some similar outlet, so it must be taken with a grain of salt. However, this information was on the front page of the New York Times Web site, and all over it at that.
As I waited for news about the Governor’s announcement, I was able to read into the case more deeply and was disappointed to learn what I did.
I first learned of Governor Spitzer in 2002 or 2003, when he was serving as Attorney General of New York. At the time, he was going after big corporations and Wall Street firms who broke the law, which in the early years of the Bush administration (and now frankly) was admired by many people, including myself.
I thought at the time, and up until he became governor, that he was as straight a shooter as they came, beholden to no one and ready to stand up for what was right in our country. He was put in the category by many people of someone who, with time and experience, could become a contender for the Presidency of the United States. I had heard about a scandal in his administration seeking to discredit and damage the reputation of one of the Republican leaders in New York, but didn’t pay much heed to the news and passed it off as typical partisan bickering.
That is why I was so appalled to hear him admit he indeed was not only involved in a prostitution ring, but was a return customer who had an account.
As Attorney General he broke up prostitution rings, as Governor, he patronized them?
During his campaign for Governor, Spitzer pledged to bring ethics back to Albany. As Attorney General, he prosecuted at least two prostitution rings, and was even said to have spoken with revulsion and anger about one of them, saying “it was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multi-tiered management structure. It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”
I guess we can all see that his quote was nothing more than spin, using the facts of a case for his own gain, when clearly he did not act as the laws he enforced suggested he should.