New York governor Eliot Spitzer has been caught hiring a prostitute (he's already offered a classic bad apology) despite his repeated prosecutions of prostitution rings as attorney general. Even if he was only a client, he should resign, because his actions reveal such all-consuming arrogance and monumental stupidity that the man shouldn't be allowed to run a corner store, let alone a state. I mean, how do you not expect something like this to become public? But, I'm sure you're asking, what does this mean for the Presidential race (at this point peasants in Kyrgyzstan are asking that when a cow gets sick)? Both Spitzer and his successor if he were to resign, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, are superdelegates and Clinton supporters. If Spitzer resigns any time soon he ceases to be a superdelegate and is not replaced because Paterson is already a superdelegte (the total number of superdelegates is not fixed). For New York Democrats, if Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell's experience is any guide, a Spitzer resignation could be good news. Rell succeeded Governor John Rowland, who resigned over corruption allegations. Rell is now phenomenally popular and has been a very successful governor. Spitzer is a controversial figure and Paterson is decidedly not. He could take office, shed all responsibility for Spitzer's many controversial actions, and get down to the business of winning a Democratic majority in New York's incredibly close State Senate. Fun fact: The prostitution ring Spitzer used charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour. I guess the rich really are different from you and me. TPM has more details. --Sam Boyd
