Spitzer fallout
Posted: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 9:05 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The New York Times’ lead: “State government remained paralyzed on Tuesday as Gov. Eliot Spitzer, reeling from revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring, was engaged in an intense legal and family debate about whether to resign or, as aides said his wife was urging, to stay on. Mr. Spitzer did not emerge from his apartment at Fifth Avenue and 79th Street in Manhattan as Albany remained roiled and riveted by the deepening crisis.”
The Times’ editorial page says Spitzer “has now twice violated his obligations to the people of New York. He violated their trust when, according to law enforcement officials, he patronized a prostitution ring. He compounded that violation Tuesday by hiding in his Fifth Avenue apartment and refusing to explain his actions or his future plans. To put it bluntly, Mr. Spitzer must either resign immediately or explain why he deserves to continue in office. It is almost impossible for us to imagine how he can survive this scandal and provide the credible leadership that his state needs.”
VIDEO: When will New York’s governor, Eliot Spitzer -- caught up in a prostitution scandal -- resign? TODAY’s Natalie Morales reports.
The
Washington Post's Baker wonders if Spitzer's troubles will hurt Clinton. "Now, his apparent involvement with a prostitution ring has not only distracted attention from her efforts to take down the front-runner, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), it has also brought back unhelpful memories of her own husband's dalliances in office. There on cable television again were pictures of Bill Clinton hugging Monica S. Lewinsky. And the image of Spitzer's wife standing painfully by his side while he acknowledged unspecified wrongdoing could not help but remind some of Hillary Clinton's own stand-by-her-man moment."
The Boston Globe: “As New York Governor Eliot Spitzer weighs his political future after being accused of patronizing a high-priced prostitute, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is faced with an awkward choice: Call for the resignation of a fellow Empire State Democrat and raise comparisons with her own husband's behavior as president, or keep quiet and risk the appearance of condoning Spitzer's alleged offense.”
The New York Daily News: “It was a double whammy of a day for Hillary Clinton, who got pounded at the polls in Mississippi as Gov. Spitzer's mushrooming sex scandal brought ugly headlines reminiscent of her husband's philandering.”
