Have you been watching this nonsense with Eliot Spitzer in New York? And if so, is your forehead also sore from pounding it on the nearest brick wall?
Let's just ignore the politics and criminal activity for a moment, shall we? Because the solicitation of prostitution, the wiring of funds and thereby engaging in organized crime, the interstate commerce violations, the abuse of political power... whatever, someone else will say it better than I will, not to mention saying it a lot more often.
Let's instead think about this fine, upstanding married father of three teenage girls. What must it do to one's development of silly, nonessential traits like a sense of self, regard for men in general, healthy sexuality, to have one's father embroiled in a very public, well-documented, detail-intensive sex scandal involving prostitutes and abuse of power?
There's his wife, too, who is currently doing the glassy-eyed one-Ativan-too-many supportive-wife gaze at press conferences because Eliot sporting a black eye to match Silda's sprained wrist would be unsightly for the news cameras. What goes on inside your head, when all you want to do is get away from the man for a while, possibly after separating him from a few key body parts, but you feel pressured to put on a political, public façade? How long does it take to stop hating yourself for getting caught up in a machine so much larger than you are, one that has started to attack your home life and your children's well-being?
But, never fear, permanent emotional scars aside, there is a moment of levity in all of this. David Paterson is Eliot's lieutenant governor, the next in line should Mr. Spitzer be asked to relocate himself to the nearest federal-run razor-wire-and-matching-clothes facility. He is black, and legally blind. Good for him, and I'd love to see him take a few steps ahead in the power game without needing his boss to screw up so profoundly first. Not to mention that he can now, in full honesty, say, "I didn't see anything."
Cross-posted at One More Thing.
Great one, Kate. Love that last sentence.
Posted by: In the Trenches of Mommyhood | March 11, 2008 at 10:50 AM
In a case like this, I think the wife gets a pass on that 'til death do us part' line in the wedding vows.
Posted by: Fairly Odd Mother | March 11, 2008 at 08:49 PM