EVENING UPDATE,  MARCH 10,  2008

OH ME GAWD - AGAIN!

By now you know that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, a man of considerable wealth and inconsiderable charm, has allegedly been caught in a prostitution ring:

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation.

An affidavit in the federal investigation into a prostitution ring said that a wiretap recording captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

Mr. Spitzer today made a brief public appearance during which he apologized for his behavior, and described it as a “private matter.”

“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.”

“I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.”

Before speaking, Mr. Spitzer stood with his arm around his wife; the two nodded and then strode forward together to face more than 100 reporters. Both had glassy, tear-filled eyes, but they did not cry.

The governor spoke for perhaps a minute and did not address his political future.

No, he didn't resign.  I suspect that's coming, as New York government will now grind to a halt while Eliot spends some quality time with Silda, presumably explaining the powerful nature of male urges.

Silda, as the story notes, was at his side.  Every story like this has the wife "at his side."  Is there an "at his side" course these political wives take?  Do they get a certificate?  "Having completed the 'at his side' course, Politics University grants this certificate to...'"

Eliot Spitzer will forever be known as Client #9.  Somewhere, some day, in New York State, in our non-judgmental era, there will probably be a Client #9 High School.  Can you just imagine the football cheer?  "Gimme a one, gimme a two, gimme a three..."  You get the rest.

Spitzer was apparently caught on a federal wiretap.  No wonder the Democrats are holding up wiretap legislation in the House.  Terrorists?  Come on.  It's their governors they're worried about. 

Now, one relevant question:  Will this have any impact on Hillary Clinton?  She is, after all, a New York senator and an ally of the governor.  At this writing, she hasn't, to the best of my knowledge, issued any statement.  Frankly, given the subject matter, I think she should simply say, "Been there, done that."

Actually, this could probably help Hillary.  It would remind voters of her own personal circumstance - the presidential candidate as victim.

As for Bill Clinton - oh, no, no, no.  Bill, please don't say anything.  Please.  I mean, he's probably thinking, "He had to pay for it?"  But don't say anything, Bill.  Let the wife, who is at your side, speak for the family.

Spitzer will have few allies in this affair.  He's known for his arrogance.  He's made many enemies.  When he finally resigns, his lieutenant governor will succeed him.  That is David A. Paterson, a somewhat controversial African-American, said to have been selected by Spitzer for entirely cynical political reasons.  By the way, Paterson is legally blind.  So, quite clearly, is the governor he serves.

OH, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE!

Just learned this on Real Clear Politics.  It turns out that heir-to-the-New-York-throne, Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson, has legal problems of his own.  No, I don't know who's next in line after him, and frankly I don't care.

Mr. Patterson is facing an anti-discrimination suit, as reported in a recent story.  Please read.  You cannot make this up:

A US District Court judge has rejected the Senate Democrats' effort to block a discrimination lawsuit filed by a white photographer who claims he was fired by former Minority Leader David Paterson only because he wasn't black.

The ruling, first reported by the New York Law Journal (subscription only), makes for some interesting reading.

Paterson, now the lieutenant governor, asserted he axed the photographer, Joseph Maioriello, because he was a holdover from former Minortiy Leader Marty Connor's regime. Paterson said he was unsure where Maioriello's loyalties lay and was worried that Connor, whom he ousted in 2002, and others were "plotting" to re-gain control of the Democratic caucus.

Maioriello was replaced by an African-American photographer, El-Wise Noisette, who last worked for former state Comptroller H. Carl McCall (the first black gubernatorial candidate who lost his challenge to Republican Gov. George Pataki in 2002).

But Paterson insisted he had no idea about the race of either man due to the fact that he is legally blind.

"Given my visual impairment, I did not know for certain the race of either the plaintiff or Noisette," Paterson stated in his deposition.

Are you believing that?  That's his defense?  Well, it's certainly unique. 

David, let me clue you in on something:  If one guy says "gosh darn," and the other guy says, "Hey, soul..," the second one is the black guy.  Okay?  Got that now?

As columnist Cindy Adams says, "Only in New York, kiddies.  Only in New York."

INFORMED SPECULATION

I'll pass this along.  WCBS in New York is reporting that the governor may resign as early as this evening.  I am, as readers know, very dubious about "may" stories.  You know, on the other hand he may not.  But I'm passing this along, for what it is worth:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer was not expected to continue as governor and may resign sometime Monday evening, sources told CBS 2 shortly after it was reported that he was linked to a prostitution ring.

Reliable sources told CBS 2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer that Lt. Gov. David Paterson could be sworn in as governor as early as 7 p.m. Monday.

Now, here's the key point.  I noted above that Paterson has his own legal problems.  I also asked if Hillary Clinton can be affected by any of this.  The story evolves.  I can now think of ways she can be very much affected.

Let's say Paterson becomes governor.  Republicans will immediately bring up Paterson's legal case.  What does Hillary Clinton do?  She's already running against one African-American, and she's attacking him daily.  Does she side with Paterson, even though Paterson's defense in his case is ridiculous?  Does she criticize him?  Does she remain silent?  After all, Paterson is charged with firing a white man purely on the basis of color.  How will that go down with the electorate?

And how will the Democratic Party handle it?  If the Dems deny Barack Obama the presidential nomination, and then distance themselves from New York's first black governor, there could be trouble aplenty on election day.  But if they side with Paterson, and it appears he is guilty of race discrimination, that's another kind of trouble.

The cost of identity politics for the Democratic Party gets greater and greater every day.

OBAMA ON THE DEFENSIVE

Barack Obama is trying to knock down speculation that he'd take the number two spot on a Hillary Clinton ticket.  The speculation is being circulated by (drum roll) the Clintons.

Actually, Obama was quite good in response:

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Senator Barack Obama implored voters here today to discount the political chatter about him joining the Democratic presidential ticket with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, declaring: “I don’t know how somebody who’s in second place can offer the vice presidency to someone who’s in first place.”

“If I’m not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president?” Mr. Obama said. “Do you understand that?”

In a town meeting here, one day before the Mississippi primary, Mr. Obama sought to aggressively knock down the discussion stirred by Mrs. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton that the deadlocked Democratic nominating fight could be resolved by giving him the No. 2 position. It was the most expansive answer he has ever given on the subject, with his tone ranging from stern to mocking to sarcastic.

“With all due respect, I’ve won twice as many states as Senator Clinton,” Mr. Obama said, speaking over the applause of nearly 2,000 people who rose from their seats. “I’ve won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. I have more delegates than Senator Clinton.”

Here's the problem:  Obama has been put on the defense by the Clinton machine.  He's responding to her, and that's the headline.  He isn't making much news of his own, and he's got to get back on his game.

SHE'S WHAT "CUBA Sí" REALLY MEANS

The New York Times carries the inspiring story of the gutsy Carmen Peláez, a Cuban-born actress who's trying to bring the truth about the Castro regime to smug, sophisticated, know-it-all New Yorkers:

Carmen Peláez is a liberal with a deep laugh and a great sense of the absurd. All of those qualities are tested when she encounters fellow New Yorkers who still admire Fidel Castro.

Ms. Peláez, a Cuban-American actress, was born in this country and raised in Miami. She came to New York in 1993 to study acting. In the mid-’90s, she traveled to Cuba to explore the world of her great-aunt, Amelia Peláez, a noted painter who died in 1968. All those experiences pulse through “Rum & Coke,” a one-woman show in which she channels relatives on both sides of the Florida Straits and weary Habaneros stuck on an island forgotten by the outside world.

The play was her retort to the fascination with Che T-shirts, solidarity tours to Cuba and the endless praise of the revolution’s twin pillars of health and education.

“When I started writing the play, I thought people just didn’t know what was happening in Cuba,” she said after the show closed its monthlong New York run last week. “But the longer I live here, the more I realized, they don’t care.”

And this, which is so revealing....

“They would rather keep their little pop revolution instead of saying it is a dictatorship,” Ms. Peláez said. “I had somebody come to me after a show and say, ‘Don’t ruin Cuba for me!’ Well, why not? They’re holding on to a fantasy.”

Imagine that:  "Don't ruin Cuba for me!"  What selfishness.  It's always about "me," the superior person, the intellectual.  Don't ruin it for me!

That is why so many are so repelled by the left.

Carry on, Carmen.

THE CONTRADICTION IN TERMS

Moving on to other dictatorships, it was women's day in Saudi Arabia.  Don't laugh.  Well, okay, laugh.  Apparently, not much progress was made:

As people around the world marked International Women's Day on Saturday, a women's rights advocate in Saudi Arabia did so by breaching a ban on women driving, and then posting a videoclip on the Internet.

Elsewhere in the Wahhabist-ruled kingdom, two low-key events were held to discuss women's issues, while at an annual national heritage festival near the capital, organizers enforced a ban on men and women attending the event on the same day.

Saudi Arabia is the only country where women are not allowed to drive. They are also not allowed to travel without written permission from a male relative.

Other restrictions faced by Saudi women, according to rights groups, include the enforced wearing of a full-body "abaya," a ban on voting or running for office and on mixing with men in public, and a prohibition on studying certain subjects at schools and taking part in school sports. A women's testimony in court holds half the value of a man's.

Although women reportedly do drive in remote parts of the country, they may not do so in urban areas, where the sight of black-clad women being chauffeured by hired drivers -- often Filipinos -- is commonplace. Women may use public transport, but in buses they must sit at the back, even if the bus is otherwise empty.

Back of the bus.  Where have I seen that before?  Any hints?

And you'll notice the great concern in our universities, and among "rights" groups.

HIT 'EM AGAIN, HIT 'EM AGAIN, HARDER, HARDER!

Finally, I just love this.  A gutsy Cuban-American woman, a gutsy Saudi woman, and now a gutsy American woman.

Jennifer Bombasaro-Brady is suing her college.  Good for her:

NORTON, Mass. — A month after graduating from Wheaton College, Jennifer Bombasaro-Brady was back on campus urging the student government to ask the state attorney general to investigate the college’s billing practices for students studying abroad.

Ms. Bombasaro-Brady, who spent a semester in South Africa on a program run by the School for International Training, said Wheaton forced her family to pay full Wheaton tuition, room and board — more than $21,000 that semester — even though the program cost $4,439 less.

“I had an amazing time in South Africa, and I wouldn’t change the experience for anything in the world,” Ms. Bombasaro-Brady said. “But it doesn’t seem right that I was living in a place with no heat, no hot water, no electricity, no Internet, and paying the cost of my dorm room here.”

Wheaton is not the only institution to charge home tuition and fees to students who study abroad on programs that cost thousands of dollars less. But because of Ms. Bombasaro-Brady’s family, it is the one facing litigation on the pricing question.

It's time we started holding colleges to account for a number of practices, some financial, many educational.  These "educators" set themselves up as a priestly class, above criticism, noble servants of society.  Colleges are businesses, and careerism and cronyism flourish.  Bring them down to earth, and into a courtroom.

And, writing as a loyal citizen in the state run by Eliot Spitzer, I'll be back tomorrow.

Posted on March 10, 2008.