At Least He Was A Man About It

As a former prosecutor, Eliot Spitzer surely understood how strong the case against him was and how small the likelihood that he could beat the rap after he was identified to the media as client 9 in the investigation of a high-priced call girl operation.
So it stands to reason the soon-to-be ex-governor wasn’t offering any of that “I will be vindicated” garbage or even hedging his bets by saying “these are only allegations.”
But it’s good to see that he didn’t come up with any wimpy sidestepping of blame or feigning illness or disability like some other recent public figures. Remember Florida Congressman Mark Foley, who entered rehab claiming alcoholism, saying it was the Evil Bottle that made him send lewd text messages to underage interns? Mel Gibson also played the drunk card after his anti-Semitic ramblings hit the airwaves. Winona Ryder claimed she was doing research for a role when she was caught pinching merchandise from a Rodeo Drive clothing store, and “Who” rocker Pete Townshend tried a similar lame alibi when caught accessing online kid porn.
Former New Yok chief judge Sol Wachtler blamed mental illness on his compulsive harassment of a former lover, and in that case he may be right, but he should've gotten help before it reached crisis mode.
Spitzer has made a mess out of his life and, worse, those of his wife and kids, not to mention legislators and aides in Albany who must work overtime to keep the state budget process on track during an unexpected transition. Whether he was driven to ruin by arrogant overconfidence or a subconscious desire to trip himself up, Spitzer has displayed a recklessness beyond words.
But he deserves a No Alibis award for taking his lumps, blaming no one else, admitting that he violated his own principles and apologizing to his family and the people of the state. Let’s hope he serves as a role model in that regard, at least.