Re: Spitzer.

[cornermouse]

Innocent until proven guilty. It's one of the pillars of our country and our freedom. It's what makes us different and special. Without it, we sink to the level of oppression and repression that comes from trials with pre-determined outcomes and penalties.

Innocent until proven guilty. Try it you might like it.

[tabatha]

1. He knows he is guilty.

[Fresh_Start]

2. he confessed on television

so I don't think innocent is in play anymore

[Breeze54]

4. Link please... and a quote of the confession please.

Thanks! :hi:

[Fresh_Start]

11. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations

to my family and that violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong. I apologize first, and most importantly, to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.

reads like a confession. Don't know exactly what he did wrong but he admits he violated personal and public trust

[Breeze54]

14. "Don't know exactly what he did wrong " - Exactly.

He didn't 'confess' to anything.

--------------

N.Y. Gov. Spitzer: 'I promised better'

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-eliot-spitzer-prostitutionmar11,1,6006877.story

Declining to take questions, the first-term Democrat did not specify
the reason for the apology nor raise the possibility of resignation.

"I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates
my or any sense of right or wrong," said Spitzer, 48, who swept into the
governor's office in January 2007 on pledges to restore ethics to state government.

"I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public
to whom I promised better. I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard
I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family," said Spitzer

[Fresh_Start]

17. don't know details. Admits he did wrong

violating trust and violating any sense of right and wrong

[cornermouse]

5. Well, that makes 2 with selective hearing.

[AlCzervik]

i agree with you but in this case he's pretty much admitted he did what he was accused of---yes?

if he said he did nothing and was set up and he's going to fight this all the way to the supreme court i'd totally be on board but it looks like he's not saying that at all.

[sharp_stick]

3. He already confessed

If he had of gone on TV yesterday and said something like: "I never called or banged a high priced hooker in Washington on February 13th" that's one thing.

But nope, instead he admitted it, had his wife on stage with him for the classic, "at least somebody still loves me pose", and he will probably quit.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. This is what's called "denial."

He admitted guilt at a live press conference.

It's time to move on to anger, bargaining, then acceptance.

[JDPriestly]

7. We should demand that the entire list of the clients of this

prostitution service be released and published. It kind of looks like Spitzer is the only patron of this organization that has been embarrassed in this way. It looks like it was a pretty big organization, and it seems to have cost a lot of money. There must be a lot of prominent people on the customer list. Who were the others?

Here is a NY Times article from August 2007

One part of the Justice Department mess that requires more scrutiny is the growing evidence that the department may have singled out people for criminal prosecution to help Republicans win elections. The House Judiciary Committee has begun investigating several cases that raise serious questions. The panel should determine what role politics played in all of them.

Putting political opponents in jail is the sort of thing that happens in third-world dictatorships. In the United States, prosecutions are supposed to be scrupulously nonpartisan. This principle appears to have broken down in Alberto Gonzales’s Justice Department — where lawyers were improperly hired for nonpolitical jobs based on party membership, and United States attorneys were apparently fired for political reasons.

Individual Democrats may be paying a personal price. Don Siegelman, a former Alabama governor, was the state’s most prominent Democrat and had a decent chance of retaking the governorship from the Republican incumbent. He was aggressively prosecuted by both the Birmingham and Montgomery United States attorney’s offices. Birmingham prosecutors dropped their case after a judge harshly questioned it. When the Montgomery office prosecuted, a jury acquitted Mr. Siegelman of 25 counts, but convicted him of 7, which appear to be disturbingly weak.
. . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/opinion/06mon1.html

[acmavm]

8. Oh for cripes sake. What does it take with you? Logic obviously

doesn't work. His own words at yesterday's press conference didn't make a dent. What will bring you around to reality?

[mac2]

9. The Republican state legislative body wants to impeach

Spitzer if he doesn't resign. They could lose power in the next election so they have to look honorable? Republicans? It can't be done.

Where were they when Rudi demanded the rescue workers to enter the WTC site without masks, etc. Not accountability for failure and even incompetence? The investigation of the WTC missing gold? The lies of why the towers fell? The sale of Niagara Falls Mohawk power to the Brits (used by Toronto)?

Why not demand impeachment of those Congress people of their own party in DC for sex crimes?

Ya...aren't looking so good Republicans from out here in America.

[Virginia Dare]

10. He screwed up and he admitted it.

Now apparently he will step down.

The republicans ought to try this, although I'm sure they wouldn't like it.

[mac2]

12. So did Bush and he went to war on lies and purgery.

No impeachment by Republicans is there?

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. And that is something that many of DU work on, tirelessly, every day.

I refuse to be nothing more than a Republican.

[opihimoimoi]

13. Maybe She had Pictures of him tied up...ala "Bank Job..." but, at least its a woman and not a dog

[Fresh_Start]

15. no obscene pictures required

money transfers and wiretaps are enough to do him in

[Perry Logan]

18. It's simply illogical to believe any accusation against a Democrat these days.

[slackmaster]

19. That directive only applies to the criminal justice system

Everyone else is free to have and express opinions, as long as they don't engage in defamation.

[whistler162]

20. the choices are....

Spitzer stays in office until removed and the NYS Senate stays in Republican hands, the Legislator goes Republican, Walsh's vacant seat stays Republican, and who knows how many other teetering seats go or stay Republican. Not to mention what happens to the Presidential electors with a lose of New York State to McCain.

Spitzer resigns NOW. Paterson tries and hopefully succeeds in rebuilding at least some of the honor of the Democratic party.

Will Barclay and Joe Bruno must be cursing the timing of this scandal breaking. Two weeks to late to help Barclay.

[PRETZEL]

21. I think he confessed without actually confessing,

sometimes what you don't say is just as important as what you do say.

He didn't come out and say "yes I solicited sex from Emporer's VIP Club" or whatever they were called, but he did say that he violated his obligations to his family....

At the same time, look at what the gov't has as evidence. If this Emporer's VIP Club has as part of it's practice to have all money sent to this shell corporation, then why wouldn't Spitzer do that. Yes he more than likely knew that this was a conduit for keeping anonymity but wouldn't that be one of the reasons he chose them. Isn't one of the biggest selling points for these types of business their ability to keep their clients identity from public view. I don't really have that big an issue with whether or not the bank went to extraordinary means to notify the feds of the unusual transfer. It caught the attention of someone at the bank. If it was a one time thing coming out of an account that has little activity, wouldn't that be a red flag? What if it was the hundredth transaction of the same nature occurring every month, 2months. Wouldn't that be a red flag? How did the feds get to this Kristen person who apparently was the informant that is being so heavily relied on?

Maybe he was set up. Maybe it is political. That doesn't negate what he did. But is what he did of such a nature that he should be forced to resign or face impeachment. My opinion, no. It seems that the best they have on him at this point (and we really don't know the whole story) boils down to solicitation of prostitution. He screwed up, literally and figuratively. Did this have any effect on his ability to perform his job. Not that I'm concerned. But that's only me. I'm not in the political arena where perception is far greater than reality and "holier than thou" is the standard bearer.