Who Wanted the Head of the New York Governor?
Was there something beyond Eliot Spitzer’s ungoverned libido behind his breathtaking downfall? Andrei Fedyashin writes for Russia’s Novosti news service, ‘Spitzer had his career and family life taken down by the forces of political retribution … Only the naive can doubt that this was a pre-arranged “sex scandal.”‘ Pointing out that most of his Wall Street enemies were Republican, Fedyashin asks, ‘Who better to bring down, if not a Democrat and personal friend of Hillary Clinton, who had formally pledged to support her at the upcoming Democratic convention? As a governor, Spitzer is among one of about 800 so-called super-delegates, who may well decide which candidate will lead the party’s fight for the White House – Clinton or Barack Obama … Perhaps the explanation is that Hillary frightens Republicans far more than her party-comrade, Barack Obama?’
By Political Columnist Andrei Fedyashin
Translated By Igor Medvedev
March 14, 2008
Russia – Novosti – Original Article (Russian)
MOSCOW: Less than a week after a “sex scandal” erupted around the Governor of the State of New York on March 13, Democrat Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation on March 17.
Unofficially, on the day that The New York Times published the spicy details of his phone order for a “short brunette,” it was clear that Spitzer, who two years ago was thought to have a promising future as a likely Democratic candidate for the White House – had destroyed his political career and probably his family. She [the brunette] was “delivered” to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, where the 48-year-old Spitzer spent the night before testifying to Congress. How badly everything turned out! Bad from a purely moral point of view and doubly bad in a U.S. presidential election year.
It later transpired that Spitzer had used the services of this brunette and other call girls through a certain company called the Emperor’s Club VIP, and over the last ten years had paid it over $80,000. And considering that he allegedly paid $1,000 for this one brunette, one concludes that he must have had 80 of them during this time. This is quite a propensity for variety – even in ten years.
In a nutshell, this is the tale of the downfall of the now-former governor of America’s third-largest state. And now, apart from having to completely quit politics, he stands accused of the “illegal promotion of prostitution,” since the call girl was dispatched from New York to Metropolitan Washington D.C. According to the laws of the United States, transporting someone across state lines to procure sex is an even greater offense than prostitution itself. Moreover, he may also be deprived of his right to practice law. Simply put, when it rains it pours.
If you are unfamiliar with Spitzer’s record and fail to take account of his backround, you might get the impression that these charges of “illegal sex” came like a bolt from the blue. Sex scandals in America, of course, are nothing new: Almost every second U.S. President has committed adultery, with John F. Kennedy – given his record of such transgressions – mastering his White House rivals. That’s to say nothing of Senators, House members and other governors.
But these scandals do differ. Some are more moderate while others hit like a thunder-clap. The Spitzer story is of the latter category. Since this is a presidential year it couldn’t have been otherwise. It’s embarrassing again to speak here of political hypocrisy in the United States. It’s so unfortunate to devalue this meaningful notion through such frequent repetition.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with a startling array of global reaction to the Spitzer scandal
10 Responses to “Who Wanted the Head of the New York Governor?”
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Oh please.
Now we are supposed to pay attention to Russian conspiracy theorists? Aren't are own good ol' US-of-A, home-grown crackpots loony enough for you?
Nothing bad or good, anywhere, anytime, can avoid being latched on to by those who must have a conspiracy for EVERYTHING to play with.
Conspiracies do happen, but that is not the same thing as everything can be explained by a conspiracy.
I guess that Rush Limbaugh is part of the conspiracy but his role was to act in a way to try to throw people off track, by promoting assistance to Hillary Clinton so that people wouldn't realize that Clinton is truly the Dem candidate that's most feared by the GOP.
Or something like that.
Another reason this is a silly conspiracy theory: are we to believe that getting rid of ONE Dem superdelegate (which puts a different Dem in his place, whose intentions of which Dem candidate he'll support I think are unknown at this time) is actually going to influence the outcome? Or is the theory that the GOP is currently working to find scandals that will force the resignation of a large number of the superdelegates that are pledged to Clinton?
Was this a national conspiracy (no), but the local IRS and bankers sure did go after Spitzer with a zeal equal to Spitzer's attacks on Wall Street. Like Clinton, if Spitzer keep his zipper shut he wouldn't have this problem. Lighten up, the international perspective is to be read with a little doubt.
“the local IRS and bankers sure did go after Spitzer”
Well, by that definition, any investigation or action that involves two or more people is a 'conspiracy'.
I like to stick the the concept that malfeasance needs to be attached to the conspirators before we let it rise to the level of a conspiracy.
Speculations of this kind are rampant in NY, but mostly on the sidelines.
Politics is part of everything these days, and it is legitimate to wonder who decides which public figures are investigated and which not. I would not be surprised in the least if for every Spitzer caught in the headlights, there were two others thankiful that they were not.
The botttom line is, though, that Spitzer did what he did
The irony is that he was caught by mechanisms that he, himself, supported.