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Power Is Fleeting
By John W. Kennedy | March 11, 2008
The swift demise of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is yet another lesson in humility for officeholders.
Yesterday, Spitzer was a powerful figure, less than two years after being elected to the widest gubernatorial landslide in the history of the Empire State. Today he can’t find a friend, even in his own party.
The revelation that federal authorities believe Spitzer is part of a customer base that pays thousands of dollars an hour for the services of prostitutes seems incredible. It’s also amazing that such behavior in our culture still causes outrage. Various laws have been passed to protect sexual behavior that isn’t between a husband and wife. And television and movies continually present the message that sex with anyone at anytime has no consequences.
Yet somehow the public apparently still believes sexual encounters between a governor and a high-priced call girl are worthy of punishment, if not legally at least by relinquishing your office.
As a pro-life advocate I won’t be sorry to see Spitzer go. Six years ago, while New York attorney general, Spitzer launched an investigation of two dozen pregnancy care centers in the state. Subpoenas demanded that the PCCs reveal their “false advertising and deceptive business practices.” Spitzer said at the time that he had discovered that the centers’ “goal is to persuade women not to consider abortion.”
Trying to counsel women so that they won’t abort their baby certainly sounds like a crime. Clearly it’s dangerous if more mothers started giving birth rather than disposing of the “blob of tissue.” Last year, as governor, Spitzer proposed a bill that would eliminate abortion restrictions in New York and require faith-based hospitals to provide abortions.
It’s not time for opponents to gloat, or cast stones. There have been plenty of Christian leaders caught in sexual misconduct. I hope that Spitzer, his wife of 20 years and their three teenage daughters receive the counsel needed to heal from this tragic episode.
Topics: prostitution |
March 12th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I was on to the true character of Elliot some time ago when I heard of some of his bullying, over zealous prosecutor tactics. I did not know about his going after pregnancy care centers. Sad, sad. Really sad, when you consider that this evil man, disguised as a crusader for justice, won 67 percent of the vote for NY governor. It is scary to realize how gullible and uniformed our voting public is. Thank God Elliot was exposed and forced out of public life, as a future presidential candidate.