Spitzer Should Resign

One cannot express more profound disappointment in the astounding events disclosed in the past 24 hours that involve the actions of Governor Eliot Spitzer. This is a man who pledged the highest ethical standards in his office. He would by the force of his will and the size of the mandate bestowed on him, reign in a new day in NY State government.

Now facing admissions that while governor, he solicited a prostitute, and evidence that he paid more than $4,000 for that service, including trains and cab fares to a Washington DC hotel room, Eliot Spitzer can no longer credibly claim the mantle of reform he promised. Nor can he credibly represent his Democratic Party or the people of New York to whom he swore an oath to uphold the laws of this state and our nation. The sordid tale even reveals the fact that he had a $400.00 credit on his account, begging the question from that classic song, "How long has this been going on?"

Clearly, Mr. Spitzer was not thinking straight when he decided to engage in this action. We can only hope that he can think clearly now and do what his right for his state and his party by permitting Lt. Governor David Patterson, a man of impeccable integrity, to carry on with the important mandates promised by the 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

We do extend our deep sympathy to the family of Mr. Spitzer, his lovely wife and his three daughters, who were clearly not in Mr. Spitzer’s thoughts when he engaged in these actions. What were you thinking, Mr. Spitzer? Not of them and not of the people to whom he swore an oath.

Governors will come and go, replaced with election seasons and changing moods of voters, but husbands and fathers come once for most of us. Eliot Spitzer’s obligation now is to try and repair his hurting family. We hope that he finds the courage to rise from despair and make the difficult decision he owes them and all of us who held his dream.