Spitzer's Steep Fall

The first question that comes from New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's stunning fall from grace is, what in the world was he thinking? It's entirely possible he'll leave office before the sun sets on this day. And all this for a four hour encounter with the high priced hooker?

This was the guy who made his reputation as a crusader against evil. In 2004 he busted a prostitution ring based on Staten Island. More than a dozen people were arrested, and you could almost see the righteous indignation dripping from his every word. And now this. A governor overwhelmingly elected with a mandate to "clean up Albany", reduced to the name "Client 9"?

It's too much.

From a purely practical standpoint, Spitzer didn't cover his tracks very well. Talking over the details of a tryst with one of the bosses of the prostitution ring speaks to a stunning lack of street smarts, even for a guy who went to Harvard Law School. Not to ever think the ring in question, Emperor's Club VIP might have been wiretapped is just plain dumb for a former prosecutor.

Yet these things alone wouldn't doom Eliot Spitzer. Two other components of this sad saga, if true,will cost him his job. One, the wiretap implies Spitzer had a running account with these people. That means this wasn't a one time indiscretion. Problem two involves the money laundering charge the four people busted in this case are facing. In fact, that's what could land them in prison for a long stretch if convicted. The math here is simple.

Prostitution+money laundering+Eliot Spitzer=Former Governor Eliot Spitzer