Prostituting His Office

"They discussed the client's reputation as a 'difficult' man who sometimes asked the prostitutes 'to do things you might not think were safe' . . . But Kristen, according to court papers, was prepared: 'I have a way of dealing with that,' she is quoted as having told Ms. Lewis. 'I'd be like, Listen, dude, you really want the sex? . . . You know what I mean.' "

Daily News columnist Michael Goodwin pulls no punches:

"His downfall comes as a relief. Assuming Spitzer resigns in short order, as he must, we will be relieved of his volcanic tantrums, abuse of authority and incessant dishonesty. Once he's gone, perhaps government can get back to the work of the people.

"Eliot Spitzer's enormous failure is not political, nor simply personal. He suffers from a character flaw that defeated his better angels. He simply couldn't tell the truth, even when a lie wasn't needed. It's as though he didn't know the difference.

"It's now obvious his whole life was a lie. This is a man who thundered against illegality and prosecuted prostitution rings, and now has been caught patronizing one."

Newsday profiles the governor's wife, who had been a corporate lawyer and was given an office in the state capitol:

"Silda Wall Spitzer is known to many as a gracious, intelligent woman who made only one major misstep in her life: in 1982 she married a fellow Harvard Law School student in a union that lasted just 29 days.

"Two years later she met another student there -- Eliot Spitzer. They married in 1987 and went on to lead lives of success and fortune. Now Wall's misfortune in her first marriage will be an even smaller footnote in the wake of the New York governor's alleged involvement in a prostitution ring."

Josh Marshall asks the question on many minds: "How exactly is it that someone who makes it his business to bust the chops of big Wall Street titans uses prostitutes?"

Slate's Emily Yoffe: "How do these guys get their wives to stand by their side? Think of Bill Clinton, New Jersey Gov. Jim 'I'm a Gay American' McGreevey, Gary Hart. At least Silda Spitzer looked hurt but composed. Better than Hillary's righteousness and less painful to watch than McGreevey's wife's utter confusion.

"At the risk of sounding naive, what can someone do in bed that's worth $5,500--the top price for a 'top' prostitute at the Emperor's Club VIP?" (D.C. angle: This allegedly happened at the Mayflower, two blocks from here.)

The New Republic touting Spitzer's last byline in its pages.