Watching the unfortunate events in New York unfold involving married Gov. Eliot Spitzer's allegedly hiring call girls, including the obligatory press conferences with long-suffering wife at his side, so many things came to mind.
They're the same thoughts I had as the debacle in Detroit unfolded, involving the married Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick having an affair with his chief of staff and allegedly lying about it under oath.
What was he thinking? And what is she (wife) thinking?
I'm tired of seeing these women trotted out after their husbands have made gosh-darned fools of themselves.
I tried to think of how this is different from back in the day when President Bill Clinton was in the hot seat, a stoic Hillary at his side. I hate to bring that up because I'm likely to vote for her if she ends up a presidential candidate. As such, I need to remain in denial about their dirty laundry -- and can, because it still by far pales in comparison to the dirty laundry that's not only piled up for us as a nation, but with a perpetually broken washer and dryer, under our current president.
Maybe it seems different because the notion of a president getting publicly caught with his pants down was new then. Predecessors may have conducted themselves similarly, but those who knew looked the other way. Not anymore.
At the time, I admired Hillary. While she may have been standing by him, you knew she was giving him what-for behind the scenes. He certainly deserved it. And if they could work things out, more power to them.
Still, wouldn't you think those who came after him would have learned? These men have been given great privilege as public servants. They should know that anything they do is subject to scrutiny. Are they so arrogant to think that they will get away with sleazy -- even illegal -- behavior?
I used to tell my kids to picture facing their grandparents having committed whatever infraction I was warning them against at the time. Wouldn't you think these governors and mayors and Congressmen would have figured out by now that before they spend $4,300 for a prostitute or text message sex talk to another married employee on public-owned phones, they should visualize being caught red-handed and having to face their wives and children -- not to mention the press and constituents -- and run the other way?
Yes, marriage is supposed to be for good times and bad. If a wife deems it is in her and her family's best interests to stand by her man after he blatantly commits immoral -- even illegal -- acts, it is not for anyone else to judge.
But she shouldn't have to be Client 9's prop at a press conference.
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