Of course, this doesn't help:

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In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island.

“”This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure,” Mr. Spitzer said at the time. ”It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”

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[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: aka Mycroft ]

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Originally posted by Sven:
NY CBS affiliate says that Spitzer is going to resign...

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Originally posted by Sven:
NY CBS affiliate says that Spitzer is going to resign...

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"But his stint as governor has been marred by several problems, including...a plot by his aides to smear Spitzer's main Republican nemesis.

[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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Stockholm: The Lieutenant-Gov. is an African-American guy from Harlem who was born legally blind!

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[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family.

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Originally posted by martin dufresne:
And your point is? I am sure you aren't meaning to smear two political minorities in one sloppy innuendo...

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Originally posted by Catchfire:

What a bizarre comment. Why do public politicians, particularly in America, always feel the need to address this first? What does his family have to do with this situation at all? Did he violate the public trust? Does his hypocrisy as an Attorney General who busted prostitution rings undermine the justice system? Does visiting a prostitute affect one's ability to govern? These are the questions that should be asked, but instead, "I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family." Bizarre.

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“I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right or wrong,” said Mr. Spitzer, who appeared with his wife Silda at his Manhattan office. “I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better.”

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Originally posted by martin dufresne:
When you quote someone and end the quote in mid-sentence to make a point, you should at least indicate it with (...)

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Originally posted by Catchfire:
Remember that no American would vote for a presidential candidate if he (or she) was divorced...

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Originally posted by Sven:

Ronald Reagan was divorced (from Jane Wyman), although he remarried (to Nancy) prior to being elected in 1980.

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"The federal investigation of a New York prostitution ring was triggered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer's suspicious money transfers, initially leading agents to believe Spitzer was hiding bribes, according to federal officials.

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Doesn't *anyone* use cash for purchases anymore?

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Here's what I don't get. Why do these guys always feel like they have to drag their wives to the podium when they do their Jimmy Swaggart confession impressions? If they have an agreement with each other about this sort of thing, then it's all a lie anyhow; if they don't have an agreement then it's just cruel. Either way, I don't give a damn whether his wife supports him or is throwing the contents of his closet onto the front lawn.

The question is: is the guy a criminal? Is he a hypocrite? The answer to both questions is yes. Should you be a criminal for being a john? I don't think so, but when you're overly zealous about prosecuting other prostitutes and johns, while you're fucking them yourself, you've got a credibility problem.

And that's got nothing to do with your wife.

[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]

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Originally posted by Michelle:
...The question is: is the guy a criminal?..

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There is also hypocrisy here as Spitzer prosecuted two "prostitution rings" while he was Attorney-General.

BTW, why does the word "ring" always make things sound more sinister?

[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: aka Mycroft ]

There is a felony charge out of all of this, and you can't be governor of New York if you are a felon.

Payback is a bitch.

I also wonder why the wife is featured at the loser's side during the mea culpa. Are all political wives spineless or is the allure of power so strong (Hi Hillary) that the wives will suffer any indignity to cling to the vestiges of a ruined lifestyle?

The look on Ms Spitzer's face in the G+M photo is not the look of a political conniver. I think she is devastated. Why is she there? She should be cutting all the chump's clothes in half before throwing them out on the lawn.

[ 10 March 2008: Message edited by: jester ]

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Originally posted by aka Mycroft:
...There is also hypocrisy here as Spitzer prosecuted two "prostitution rings" while he was Attorney-General...

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[ 11 March 2008: Message edited by: SubHuman ]

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Originally posted by aka Mycroft:
I don't know what's dumber, using prostitutes or paying for it using credit cards or bank transfers. Doesn't *anyone* use cash for purchases anymore?

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then again Letterman was funny last night

letterman

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1. I thought Bill Clinton legalized this years ago.

2) I wanted to be known as the Charlie Sheen of politics.

3) Whether it's a hooker or your wife, you're always paying for it...you married fellows know what I'm talking about.

4) Uh, tainted beef?

5) Haven't been myself since Roy Scheider died.

6) It's part of my new MTV prank show "Spitz'd."

7) Have you ever been to Albany?

8) Just trying to help the economy.

9) Hookers is fun.

10) "Oh, come on. Like you were never involved in a prostitution ring.

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aka Mycroft: From what I'm hearing on the news johns are not usually charged in New York or Washington DC.

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Originally posted by bigcitygal:

Frankly, I'm shocked that he's not gay.

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He's not a REPUBLICAN!

Anyway, this was amusing. The New York Post keeps it classy as usual:

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Doug: He's not a REPUBLICAN!

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Originally posted by Ghislaine:
I would be divorcing his a** right away, and certainly not playing the part of dutiful political wife.

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Agreed.

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jester: Why is she there? She should be cutting all the chump's clothes in half before throwing them out on the lawn.

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Americans and their messed up state of repressed sexual affairs. HA!

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Originally posted by oldgoat:
From what little I've heard, should he resign, NY could do a lot worse than this guy.

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Top aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer said Tuesday morning that they expect the governor to resign his office, although the timing of the resignation remains uncertain.

Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson and his staff have begun laying the groundwork for him to take over as governor and are reaching out to members of the Legislature, the aides said.

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Imagine You're Mrs. Spitzer ...

Your governor husband is going to a press conference to announce that he got caught in a prostitution ring. He asks you to come with him to show moral support. Do you say

a) "Of course, sweetheart"

b) "Not a chance, you son-of-a-bitch."

c) "I'd love to, hon, but my favorite soap is on."

d) "Goody. I have a few things I'd like to say, and I don't care who hears it."

e) "No, and I'll be changing the locks while you're gone."

It seems to me that the only answer here that is plainly incorrect is "a." But apparently that's what Silda [Spitzer's Wife] chose.

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New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer had at least seven or eight liaisons over the last several years with prostitutes supplied by an international call girl ring based in New Jersey, according to sources familiar with the investigation into Spitzer's relationship with the ring.

The liaisons between Spitzer and a number of different prostitutes occurred around the country, including in Washington, D.C., and Florida, the sources said. For each encounter, Spitzer paid several thousand dollars, the sources said.

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Gov. Eliot Spitzer had planned to announce his resignation at 7 p.m. last night but abruptly changed his mind on advice from his lawyers, according to New York political figures familiar with developments.

. . . .

[P]olitical sources say Spitzer's lawyers are already in negotiations over what criminal charges the governor could face in a plea negotiation.

One source said prosecutors are focusing only on financial crimes involving alleged violations of the law in the way Spitzer moved money through a series of accounts to pay for his prostitutes.

An offer to resign as governor could be part of any negotiated package, according to former prosecutors.

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[ 11 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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Spitzer Tied to Prostitution Ring...

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The devoted-forgiving-wife trope is boring boring BORING. She's doing the only "proper" public thing she can do, within the confines of puritanical USian culture: answer a) above.

Five Thousand Bucks!!! I mean WTF. Can anyone tell me what would go on within the time frame we're talking about, and within the confines of a nice hotel room, that could command that much dough?

And supposedly he was using gov't funds to pay for this and other things.

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Originally posted by oldgoat:
So maybe I'm the only one who wondered about this, and it really isn't worth dwelling on, but I heard he gave her over $5000.00.

Five Thousand Bucks!!! I mean WTF. Can anyone tell me what would go on within the time frame we're talking about, and within the confines of a nice hotel room, that could command that much dough?

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that would be some sweet revenge, hm?

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Before your imagination runs amok

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Too late.

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...He did tell her that she would be asked to do some things she might find distateful.

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Originally posted by martin dufresne:
Re: Oldgoat's WTF comment
I have always felt that the way to get men to perceive prostituting women as less than ethical was to somehow raise the going rate to $10K or three months' salary, whichever...

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According to Slate:

"According to a page on "Introduction Fees" [on the Emperors Club website], the club ranked its call girls from three to seven diamonds based on "individual education, sophistication, and ambiance." Prices range from $1,000 for an hour with a three-diamond prostitute up to $3,100 for a seven-diamond hooker; dawn-to-dawn rates go from $10,000 for a three-diamond to $31,000 for a seven-diamond. Bargain hunters take note: $30,000 will buy you a trio of three-diamond prostitutes—that's a total of nine diamonds for less than the price of a single seven-diamond call girl."

I also thought the following was amusing:

"The site promises access to a well-heeled clientele, noting that members' gross annual income averages $3.63 million per year. Perhaps Spitzer received some kind of financial aid—his annual salary is a scant $179,000."

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Originally posted by Sven:
Not sure I trust the source, but the New York Post is saying that Spitzer has used "high-priced hookers" for at least six years "and possibly for more than a decade".

If that's true, then this clearly isn't a matter of a sudden—and unusual—lapse of judgment but something that is more persistently pathological.

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I have no doubt if Spitzer had ever become the Democratic President, such reforming zeal would have gone out the window -- and like Bill Clinton and others, he would have played nice with big business.

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Governor Spitzer's regular use of prostituted women is no private matter. It is in fact a very public matter that raises the urgent issue of the demand for prostitution that fuels sex trafficking.
Governor Spitzer in fact violated in spirit, if not the letter, the very law he signed and that went into effect on November 1, 2007. The contradiction and hypocrisy of Governor Spitzer's being a supporter of the recently passed New York State Anti-Trafficking legislation (that raises the penalties for patronizing from that of a B Misdemeanor to that of an A misdemeanor) to he himself being part of the demand that fuels sex trafficking is an enormous betrayal of the human rights and women's rights movement that works to end human trafficking.
Prostitution is not a victimless crime as so many are now proclaiming. It is widely recognized as violence against women, arises from negative social conditions and is contrary to equality for women. It is the demand for prostitution that is the primary cause of human trafficking.
Continuing to have a class of women available for commercial sexual exploitation violates every human rights standard. The exploitive dynamics of prostitution are not altered by the amount of money involved.(...)

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The devoted-forgiving-wife trope is boring boring BORING. She's doing the only "proper" public thing she can do, within the confines of puritanical USian culture: answer a) above.

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"A woman's position as a wife has been given the highest place over all other roles which she is required to play because it is here that she is required to perform the most arduous of duties and the most difficult of responsibilities..." (J.P. Atray, Crimes Against Women, Vikas: New Delhi, 1988)

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[ 11 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

But on a more serious note, part of me hopes he sticks it out. Whether or not he sleeps with prostitutes does not affect his ability to do his job. Unfortunately for him, I suspect this issue will embroil his position so extensively that he actually won't be able to (by contrast, in parliamentary systems unpopular leaders can still get things done - eg. Gordon Campbell after the drunk driving incident).

Obviously, if there are criminal implications relating to his sketchy banking practices or his solicitation of prostitutes, that is another story. Moreover, he is probably going to be impeached. I don't think Larry Craig did much that was wrong, nor did Gerry Studds back in the 70's.

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...part of me hopes he sticks it out.

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Spizter was apparently hated on Wall Street for going after corrupt business practices over the last decade

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Poetic justice. It looks good on him.

More importantly, it sounds like he's been doing this for years. One girl got calls from the Federal DA's office in Brooklyn.

If it's been going on that long somebody had to be shielding him. And that somebody had him by the short and curlies, especially during the election. What did they get out of protecting him? And why do they now feel safe throwing him to the wolves?

Why rat him out now? Who knows? People in the know got tired of his hypocrisy?

And in all seriousness, there is of course nothing wrong morally with using the services of a paid sex professional. For me the issue of his assholery is the cheating on his wife (although she clearly had been looking the other way for years) and his role as "buster" of all those other "prostitution rings". In using the services, for years, Spitzer's not doing anything that all his other buddies in government/private sector are doing. Notice that nobody in these cases EVER comes out to either defend of condemn him/dude in his place. They just wait out the storm, and hope they aren't next.

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For me the issue of his assholery is the cheating on his wife (although she clearly had been looking the other way for years) and his role as "buster" of all those other "prostitution rings".

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His hypocrisy is more of a problem for me than the cheating.

And the hypocrisy of USian society in general around sex is on-going. I mean, for starters, their economy is on the verge of going into a tailspin and Iraq continues to be a debacle, but CNN dedicates hours of coverage to Elliot's wife's facial expression as she's standing there listening to hubby attempt to salvage his career and reputation.

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Originally posted by oldgoat:
So maybe I'm the only one who wondered about this, and it really isn't worth dwelling on, but I heard he gave her over $5000.00.

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Apparently, he's spent over $80,000 over the last 10 years. Man, are his daughters gonna be pissed when they ask what happened to their college fund!!

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Originally posted by bigcitygal:
Why rat him out now?

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Originally posted by Indiana Jones:
Apparently, he's spent over $80,000 over the last 10 years. Man, are his daughters gonna be pissed when they ask what happened to their college fund!!

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They don’t need to worry. Eliot is a trust-fund baby as the son of a very rich real estate developer. His wife has no outside income and his salary as governor is (was??) only $179,000 per year. Yet, they reported income of $1.9 million on their taxes last year.

ETA: So, I would guesstimate that he's worth $20 million to $30 million.

[ 12 March 2008: Message edited by: Sven ]

His family life is in turmoil.

His political career is over.

He is in legal jeopardy for the alleged crimes he committed.

His political allies are disappointed in him.

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Originally posted by Sven:

It doesn’t appear anyone ratted him out. His own bank, apparently, reported him to the IRS because of suspicious wire transfers. Initially, the authorities thought the money transfers were hiding bribery or kick-back money...and that’s how the investigation started.

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Gov. Eliot Spitzer will resign Wednesday, his aides said, as the New York governor faces allegations -- but no charges -- that he is tied to an international high-dollar prostitution ring ensnared in a federal probe.

Spitzer's resignation is contingent on the details of his transition being worked out, aides said.

Spitzer is scheduled to announce his resignation at 11:30 a.m. ET, a source close to the governor said. . . .

A prominent New York Democrat who has been urging the governor to resign said he has "firm assurances" from Spitzer that he will step aside Wednesday. The assurances came from a member of Spitzer's inner circle, the source told CNN on condition of anonymity.

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Sven: I really can’t imagine the agony he is suffering from yadda yadda

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[ 12 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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Originally posted by bigcitygal:
Jeez, it's still "follow the money" isn't it?

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Yep. You'd have thought he'd have paid in cash.

[ 12 March 2008: Message edited by: Sven ]

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How could prosecutors justify NOT charging him?

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Charging him for what in particular?

[ 12 March 2008: Message edited by: josh ]