Eliot Spitzer is a friend of mine, not a close friend but a friend, nonetheless. He has written for TNR and TNR has written about him. I knew relatively little about his personal life until he, the feds and the media brought it into public domain, so to speak. I did know that he was very wealthy. But there was no social hauteur in his demeanor. Eliot is intellectually very brilliant: analytical, associative, and also with high standards of what constitutes proof.
Yes, like most men and women, he had an intricate psychological life, more than likely a particularly intricate psychological life. Of course, we all now know some of the details which, however, does not mean that we understand them. Not at all. I am sorry for Slida and for their three children. I am sorry for Eliot who bore the burdens of moralism which attach to every human instrument of the law, who bore them awkwardly and, alas, also self-destructively. I am also sorry for Ashley Alexandre Dupre, known to the world as "Kristen," who wrote on her MySpace page that she had been abused and homeless. Apparently, she was what the New York Sun calls "a child of privilege." Which is, as we see, no guarantee of an easy life. The Associated Press reported yesterday that Kristen's page in MySpace had had more than 5 million visitors before it was removed.
I have to confess that I had thought that some day Eliot would be a candidate for president. Forget about that.
Apparently, one of the questions surrounding his future is whether he will end up in jail.
Apropos that prospect, I suggest you read Alan Dershowitz' article in this week's Forward.
And, also in this morning's Sun, there is a report that "Prosecutorial Effort to Humiliate Spitzer is Seen," which quotes Scott Horton's TNR article on the subject.