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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York Stock Exchange chief Richard Grasso won a knockout victory on Tuesday in his four-year fight to keep every last penny of his $187.5 million pay package, as an appeals court threw out the state's remaining claims against him. The ruling, Grasso's second court victory in the past week, prompted New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to throw in the towel. The New York Supreme Court's appellate division, in a 3-1 vote, dismissed two legal claims against Grasso brought by former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 2004. The ruling follows a decision last week...

Spitzer "actually enjoyed destroying people," said a former NYSE managing director, Richard Riker. "Spitzer's legacy is tarnished and trashed because of [the prostitution scandal that led to his resignation] and the Richard Grasso lawsuit suit." "[The Court of Appeals decision upholding Grasso's pay package] becomes part of the realization that Spitzer was no more than a legal lightweight who bullied and slashed his way through Wall Street using the power of his office," Riker said. Spitzer's personal reputation was already in tatters. Revelations that Spitzer had a years-long addiction to high-priced prostitutes - and that he might be indicted himself...

ALBANY — Again and again when he appeared before a state ethics commission last year, a top aide to Gov. Eliot Spitzer tried to explain that he had told the governor about steps he was taking to gather the travel records of Joseph L. Bruno, then the Senate majority leader. But the commission’s executive director kept changing the subject and did not want to hear about Mr. Spitzer’s involvement, says the aide, Darren Dopp. In his first extended interview about the case, Mr. Dopp said this week that he was refusing to reach a settlement with the ethics commission, known...

NY-24: Arcuri Tied to Spitzer Prostitution Scandal Former Fundraiser Under Federal Investigation By Bluey Posted in Congress | Freshman Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) paid $44,000 to a political consultant who is under federal investigation as part of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. The story first broke on a blog in Arcuri's hometown of Utica, N.Y., and is now leading the news in the Upstate New York city.

New York’s High Court Sides With GrassoWednesday June 25, 10:35 pm ET By JENNY ANDERSON On Wall Street, there are stars that fade and stars that fight. Richard A. Grasso is one of the latter. On Wednesday, Mr. Grasso, the former chairman and chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange, won another round in his almost five-year battle to keep the $187.5 million of pay he amassed during his eight years at the helm of the Big Board. The New York State Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling dismissing four of six counts originally brought by Eliot...

Spitzer Call Girl Dupre Speaks Out On Myspace BlogLast Edited: Tuesday, 24 Jun 2008, 4:09 PM CDT Call girl Ashley Dupré is speaking out for the first time since the scandal that brought down New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, thanking her fans and her critics alike. "Thank you all so much for taking the time to send me a bit of strength and inspiration via e-mail or comment," Dupré, 23, writes on her MySpace blog, in which she calls her mood "Thankful." "Your words have touched me, and I thank you for that ... with all my heart, I love...

It’s been a tough year for the Spitzer family, to say the least. Now that the legislative session is coming to a close, and he’s no longer responsible for steamrolling lawmakers into achieving reforms anyway, papa Eliot is taking the whole gang on a summer vacation. On Monday, according to sources, the disgraced ex-governor, wife Silda and their three girls will depart for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. A spokeswoman for the Spitzers, Anna Cordasco, confirmed the trip and said the family was going to Southeast Asia but didn’t know the specific countries. Spitzer is still under investigation by the Feds...

ALBANY — A state ethics panel is seeking to settle cases against top aides to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a year after their alleged involvement in an effort to gather the travel records of Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader. The panel, the Commission on Public Integrity, has been threatening to open a formal public inquiry against some of the aides if they refuse to settle, according to people who have been briefed on the inquiry. The commission, which began its investigation last summer, has also questioned Mr. Spitzer under oath since he left office, though it is not...

Eliot Spitzer to receive Ultimate Sugar Daddy title! New York, June 17 : Eliot Spitzer is set to receive a 'kinky' honour- the "Ultimate Sugar Daddy." The disgraced former Governor will be given the 'title' as a part of the first annual George Burns Memorial Sugar Daddy Awards. As a part of his winning, Spitzer will win a pound of sugar, a year's worth of free lap dances from strippers at the VIP Men's Club in Chelsea and an unlimited supply of testosterone pills. Other "honorees" include Woody Allen, Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Hugh Hefner and Bill Maher, all described...

Mayor Bloomberg is a nasty, untrustworthy, tan trum-prone liar who "has little use" for average New Yorkers - like the 1,500 workers who would have lost their jobs had OTB closed, a furious Gov. Paterson has said privately. "He appears to be self-destructing," the governor said. According to a source with firsthand knowledge of Paterson's comments, the governor said that during talks last week on OTB's future, Bloomberg threw the same kind of bizarre tantrums that disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer had been known for. "He has the same kind of anger that reminds you of Spitzer," The governor charged...

3rd guilty plea in Spitzer call-girl ringPublication date: 13 June 2008 The man who ran the New York prostitution ring involved in the political downfall of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer pleaded guilty Thursday to prostitution. Mark Brener's lawyer said he did not agree to cooperate in an ongoing federal investigation, The New York Times reported. Brener also pleaded guilty in federal court to money laundering. Brener was the third person involved with the Emperor's Club V.I.P. to enter a guilty plea. Temeka Rachelle Lewis, who handled bookings, did so in May and Cecil Suwal, the manager, pleaded guilty June 3....

Eliot Spitzer plans 'vulture fund' to relaunch careerBy Tom Leonard in New York Last Updated: 2:03am BST 12/06/2008 Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor of New York caught in a prostitution scandal, has resurfaced with plans to set up a new property business. Mr Spitzer resigned as state governor in March after he was caught on a federal wiretapping operation arranging to meet a prostitute in a Washington DC hotel room. He had been a vocal campaigner against prostitution in New York, where he signed the country's toughest anti-prostitution laws, increasing sentences for men who used the services of escort...

NEW YORK (CBS) ― The man who ran the prostitution ring that supplied hookers to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer is set to plead guilty this week, bringing prosecutors closer to Spitzer himself. For months the big question in political circles has been whether Spitzer's resignation would be enough to stop the feds from indicting him. "The remorse I feel will always be with me," Spitzer said on the day he announced he'd be stepping down as the leader of New York. The noose appears to be tightening. On Thursday Mark Brener, the man who ran the Emperor's Club VIP hooker...

The federal case against him is so strong that prosecutors had no interest in striking cooperation agreements with the ringleader of Spitzer's hooker-supplier, Emperors Club VIP, and his second in command, sources told The Post's Murray Weiss. Prosecutors have records of Spitzer's transactions, phone records and taped conversations with Emperors Club, and are confident they need little more to nail him on charges that could include violating prostitution laws and money laundering, sources said. Probers are also said to be looking into whether he used campaign funds to pay for his pleasures. The case against Spitzer includes the cooperation of...

Albany DA to release Spitzer, aides testimony in probePosted at: 06/06/2008 04:46:53 PM Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares says he will release the secret testimony of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his top aides in the dirty tricks probe that consumed much of Spitzer's abbreviated term. Soares will release thousands of pages of documents sought by several news organizations after the material is reviewed according to county policy. The testimony could show how involved Spitzer was in the work of two staffers who collected state police travel logs that showed Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno - Spitzer's adversary...

More than 800,000 snapshots from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have been stitched together to create a new "coming of age" portrait of stars in our inner Milky Way galaxy. The image depicts an area of sky 120 degrees wide by two degrees tall. It was unveiled today at the 212th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in St. Louis, Mo. "This is the highest-resolution, largest, most sensitive infrared picture ever taken of our Milky Way," said Sean Carey of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. Carey is lead investigator for one of two teams...

Woman pleads guilty in Spitzer call girl scandalBy The Associated Press Wednesday, June 4, 2008 11:38 AM EDT NEW YORK - A woman accused of helping run the prostitution ring patronized by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate federal prostitution laws. Prosecutors say Cecil Suwal, 23, ran the day-to-day operations of the Emperors Club V.I.P. escort service, which charged clients up to $5,500 an hour for the services of its women. Suwal was accused of supervising the company's booking agents, paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars to prostitutes and controlling shell companies used to...

Enlarge ImageFresh look.Recent surveys of the Milky Way show it contains a prominent central bar feature (bottom), distinguishing it from other galaxies of the classic spiral variety (top).Credit: (top) NASA/Spitzer Space telescope (bottom) NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech) The Milky Way Gets a Facelift By Phil BerardelliScienceNOW Daily News03 June 2008Forget what you thought the Milky Way looked like. The galaxy is far from the simple and elegant spiral-armed structure so often portrayed. New observations, presented today at the 212th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in St. Louis, Missouri, reveal, among other things, that the Milky Way is missing two...

Court To Decide If Spitzer Overreached on GrassoBy JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, Staff Reporter of the Sun May 30, 2008 The state's highest court is gearing up to decide whether Eliot Spitzer overreached four years ago when, as attorney general, he sought to force a former New York Stock Exchange chief, Richard Grasso, to relinquish his $187.5 million pay package. On June 3, the Court of Appeals, which sits in Albany, will hear arguments on a sticking point in People v. Grasso that will set the ground rules for any eventual trial. The state, whose case is now pressed by Attorney General...

May 24, 2008 -- ALBANY - A veteran State Police forensic scientist hanged himself yesterday under circumstances shockingly similar to the suicide of another state police official just eight days ago Garry Veeder, 59, left a note in his Albany suburb home saying he was concerned about becoming a target of an internal probe regarding the handling of a high-profile case, the Albany Times Union reported. But sources said Veeder, who recently put in his retirement papers, was not implicated in the investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is probing suspected political espionage by a rogue group of State...

Another state police veteran commits suicideAssociated Press 05/23/2008 ALBANY - A state police forensic scientist was found dead at his home Friday, the second apparent suicide of a state police veteran in just more than a week, according to a state government official. The scientist's name wasn't released. The official confirmed the report on condition of anonymity because the death hasn't been announced by authorities. On Tuesday, the former head of Gov. George Pataki's security detail was buried in Orange County. Retired Inspector Gary Berwick was found dead at his home May 15. The deaths have come as officials investigate...

An imminent recession could cost New York City 59,400 jobs between now and the middle of next year, with the profit-stricken financial sector the "epicenter" of the downturn, a new report said on Tuesday. This would amount to one quarter of the hiring by private employers after the 2001 recession, according to the Independent Budget Office, a fiscal monitor that serves as the city's equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office. But the previous downturn, which accelerated after the September 11, 2001 attacks, will still turn out to have been more severe, as employers cut about 43 percent of jobs added...

May 17, 2008 -- Albany's dirty-tricks scandal seemed serious but straightforward at the outset: The Spitzer administration deployed state troopers and a credulous local newspaper reporter to put a hit on a political enemy. Then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, implicated in a prostitution scandal, resigned in March - and his successor, David Paterson, asked Cuomo to probe reports of a "rogue" State Police unit that engaged in political espionage. . . . Whereupon it was revealed that e-mails and, perhaps, other evidence allegedly had been scrubbed from the BlackBerry and computer of a key figure in the probe - retired State Police...

A former top State Police official who killed himself left behind a detailed suicide note focusing on Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's probe of the Dirty Tricks Scandal and feared an ongoing investigation of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement with prostitutes, The Post has learned. Recently retired State Police Inspector Gary Berwick, who hung himself in the garage of his home on Thursday, wrote a wide-ranging and sometimes rambling suicide note, sources said. The letter zeroed in on his close relationship with former acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton, a key figure in last summer's political espionage scandal who was dumped after...

The cooperation agreement reached between prosecutors and an employee of the call-girl ring known as Emperors Club VIP will come in handy should the Manhattan U.S. attorney, Michael Garcia, decide to charge Governor Spitzer with a crime. The woman, Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, who entered a guilty plea to money laundering and prostitution-related charges yesterday, would be a key witness against Mr. Spitzer if the former governor is charged in connection with patronizing an Emperors Club prostitute... Lewis, who booked clients for the call-girl service, had several phone conversations with Mr. Spitzer to hammer out the logistics of payment and...

AIG shareholders gathered for the big insurer's annual meeting in New York on Wednesday, and the mood wasn't cheery. After a three-year experiment in Eliot Spitzer-imposed management that has cost them billions, more than a few shareholders were pining for the days of former CEO Hank Greenberg. "He did a heck of a job," said one shareholder heading out of the meeting... ...while AIG is suing him for the accounting restatements it took after his departure, he is taking the highly unusual step of suing back. He claims the accounting changes were never justified... A careful and lengthy look at...

Plea Expected in Ring Tied to SpitzerBy WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and IAN URBINA Published: May 13, 2008 The woman accused of being the primary booker for the prostitution ring patronized by Eliot Spitzer is expected to plead guilty this week to charges related to her role in the ring, people involved in the matter said Monday. The woman, Temeka Rachelle Lewis, 32, is expected to plead guilty in federal District Court in Manhattan to charges of money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of racketeering, one of the people said. She would be the first of...

Attorney General Wants to Know Who Deleted New York Power Authority E-mailsLast Update: 1:46 pm Attorney General Andrew Cuomo wants to know who deleted e-mails from a computer and phone used by New York Power Authority’s Inspector General Daniel Wiese. Cuomo subpoenaed the emails as part of a probe as to whether members of the State Police were involved in political interference. Cuomo said that the deletion of the e-mails was “extremely troubling.” **SNIP** Governor David Paterson asked Cuomo to investigate, but it has been held up by the deletion of Wiese’s e-mails.

Politicians appear to be on a whistle-stop tour of infidelity. It's the McGreevey-Dann-Spitzer show — and then some. Infidelity is big theater these days, providing both spectacle and cautionary tale to eager onlookers and press alike. Adultery and its attendant behaviors have created a popular culture and cottage industry all their own, driving political strategy, press coverage and — on rare occasions — a few positive outcomes. America is along for the ride — and ready to hear more about the greater implications of infidelity. "We love it. It confirms our worst fears about politicians and confirms our suspicions," talk...

<p>THE office computer of suspended Power Authority Inspector General Daniel Wiese was "wiped totally clean" of e-mails and other records just days before being seized by investigators probing an alleged State Police dirty-tricks squad, The Post has learned.</p> <p>The computer, believed to contain sensitive details of Wiese's communications with State Police officials, was grabbed last month at the Power Authority's headquarters in White Plains under a subpoena issued by the office of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a source close to the authority said.</p>

<p>COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and other Democratic leaders are calling on scandal-scarred Attorney General Marc Dann to resign.</p> <p>Dann's response to his fellow Democrats is that he is staying on the job.</p> <p>Strickland, Sen. Sherrod Brown, other Democratic state officeholders and all Democratic state legislators sent Dann a letter Monday saying his actions hurt his ability to do his job.</p>

Before he became governor - or Client 9 - exiled Manhattan madam Andreia Schwartz says she was aware of Eliot Spitzer's sexual peccadilloes. "I first got to know Eliot Spitzer at a party of multimillionaires in the Hamptons," she revealed in an interview with Brazil's Sexy magazine. "At this time Spitzer was a prosecutor. A friend of mine had stayed with him, and he had certain demands, asking for strange things." She said the disgraced politician flirted with her, although she declined to provide details. "There are always those glances," she said. "But people speak too much." Schwartz once worked...

Book about Eliot Spitzer to be published by PenguinThe Associated Press Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008 In this March 31, 2007 file photo, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is shown at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., A book about the rise and stunning decline of Eliot Spitzer, co-authored by the makers of a book and film about the fall of Enron, is being published by Penguin Group (USA), Penguin imprint Portfolio announced Wednesday, April 30, 2008. AP Photo NEW YORK --A book about the rise and stunning decline of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, co-authored by the...

the scandal girl who had the New York governor, Eliot Spitzer, resigned from his post – is again in the news. It is said that the New Jersey woman has filed a suit on Monday (April 28) against Joe Francis, founder of the ’Girls Gone Wild’. She claimed that Francis had exploited her name, image, photographs and videos for profit in a wrong way. Dupree’s name, images, voice, etc have been posted and written in a number of websites and ad campaigns. More than 10 million dollars is what she has filed the lawsuit for, against the damages done to...

MIAMI (AP) — The call girl linked to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is suing the founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series for more than $10 million. Ashley Alexandra Dupre filed a lawsuit Monday in Miami federal court claiming she never gave "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis permission to use her name and likeness to advertise the videos. Dupre contends she was 17 and not old enough to sign a contract when the videos were taken in 2003 in Miami Beach.

Eliot Spitzer hit with further sex allegations By James Quinn in New York Last Updated: 8:46pm BST 24/04/2008 Eliot Spitzer, the former Governor of New York, has been hit by further allegations about his sexual predilections in the wake of the prostitution ring scandal that led to his downfall. Mr Spitzer is now being linked to a second prostitute Mr Spitzer, the former scourge of Wall Street who had been tipped as a possible future Democratic candidate for the White House, is being linked to a second woman who he allegedly paid for sexual services. According to reports in the...

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Girl Sues Dating ServiceUPDATED: 2:36 pm PDT April 23, 2008 LOS ANGELES -- Supermodel Marisa Miller sued a nationwide dating service and its owner for allegedly using her photo to promote his business without her consent, court papers obtained Wednesday show. Marisa Miller, the cover girl for February's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, filed suit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against DNA Diamonds and its owner, Jason Itzler, who supposedly bragged about being "king of all pimps." Miller's allegations include misappropriation of image and likeness, invasion of privacy and unjust enrichment. She is seeking unspecified general,...

SPITZER'S LEGACY: A $3.6M PROBE TABBy BRENDAN SCOTT April 13, 2008 -- Eliot Spitzer's political and sexual shenanigans are costing taxpayers upwards of $3.6 million. **SNIP** This month, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched his second look at the Dirty Tricks saga: a far-reaching probe into whether Spitzer ordered the State Police to gather intelligence on Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. It should double the estimated $150,000 the attorney general's office spent on the initial report that sparked the Spitzer's troubles last year. Meanwhile, the State Investigation Commission has launched an investigation of the investigations - those by the attorney general,...

As she tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered marriage to Eliot Spitzer in the wake of his embarrassing prostitution scandal, the state's former First Lady is coping privately with two other family tragedies. Her sister's husband is on his deathbed, according to Trilby Wall, Silda's gracious Southern mom. "Right now, her brother-in-law is dying," the elder Wall told the Daily News. Ray Grayson - the adored 64-year-old husband of Silda's younger sister, Susan - is under hospice care at their Richmond, Va., home. Silda's parents - Trilby and Bob Wall - are by his side as his...

Silda Wall Spitzer, the former New York Governor's wife, knew about her husband's penchant for prostitutes and didn't care. At least that's what the New York Post is saying, so don't dry your eyes just yet. An unidentified source told the Post's Richard Johnson that Spitzer recently said, "My [bleep]ing wife doesn't care [about the hookers], so why does anybody else care?" Which brings up a whole lot of questions. Like, (a) where are the other hookers he solicited and (b) have they recorded any songs? According to New York Magazine, the hour-long delay for Gov. Spitzer's press conference was...

Just when the party needs them most, the Dems super-delegates are dropping like flies. First there was William Jefferson, followed by Eliot Spitzer, then Kwame Kilpatrick, and today, Anibal Acevedo-Vila. This morning’s announcement of the indictment of Puerto Rico’s governor along with twelve others, including prominent Philadelphia democratic fundraiser Robert Feldman, worries party faithful for more reasons than one. Governor Acevedo-Vila , “a Harvard educated attorney and politician,” who according to AP, “was elected governor in 2004 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform,” just last month endorsed Senator Obama for president.But as WaPo’s the Trail points out: " The reach...

TROY, Mich. (AP) - The husband of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow told authorities that he used the Internet to arrange a $150 sexual tryst with a prostitute at a metropolitan Detroit hotel, police said Wednesday. Thomas Athans, 46, co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network, was stopped by police who were investigating prostitution at the hotel, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. Athans, in a statement issued by his attorney, apologized and said he "fully cooperated with law enforcement. My family and I are dealing with this matter in a personal and private way." Stabenow, D-Mich.,...

CUOMO ON THE CASEApril 1, 2008 -- It's up to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo now: Gov. Paterson, as The Post's Fredric U. Dicker reports today, has asked the AG to open a criminal probe of the State Police in the wake of Eliot Spitzer's Dirty Tricks campaign. **SNIP** "Recent reported events raise questions of possible political interference with the State Police," Paterson wrote to Cuomo, "and I am determined to not only ascertain the veracity of such reports but to do everything within my power to protect . . . the reputation of the State Police." Paterson's move followed Dicker's...

It would have been interesting to have had Bill Buckley’s reaction to the implosion of Eliot Spitzer, prosecutorial bully, patronizer of expensive prostitutes, and former governor of New York. We suspect that he would have agreed with a recent article on the website TechCentralStation by the economist Arnold Kling. “It is a shame,” observed Mr. Kling, “that we only laugh at a Spitzer when his secret sex life is revealed to us. Instead of mocking Spitzers for their private foibles, we should be contemptuous of their public pronouncements. Whether it is ‘cleaning up Wall Street’ or ‘giving everyone health care,’...

Today's New York Post reports that new Governor David Paterson has authorized Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to launch a criminal probe into the New York State Police. The allegations to be investigated include illegal leaks of information statewide, politically motivated investigations and looking the other way while former Governor Eliot Spitzer repeatedly patronized high priced prostitutes. If this is how the state's police operate, no wonder Hillary has expressed interest in running for governor if her presidential bid fails.

By ROGER J. STONE JR. THE SPITZER COVER-UP CRUMBLES With New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's resignation came the collapse of the cover-up of the Governor's use of the New York State Police to spy on his political opponents. Based on authoritative stories in the New York Times and Newsday we now know that Spitzer approved the release of the "created" travel logs that were designed to embarrass Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, going so far as to call aides at home after hours to insure that his smear plan had been carried out.

March 31, 2008 ALBANY - The scandal-scarred State Police is suspected of harboring a renegade unit that for years has secretly compiled personal information on top New York officials - possibly including Gov. Paterson, The Post has learned. The governor got a whiff of the existence of such an illegal, politically directed operation after being told by several lawmakers that the State Police targeted them for unjustified traffic stops and "interfered in their personal lives," a senior Paterson aide told The Post yesterday. The explosive information - supplied to Paterson by both Democrats and Republicans - suggests that the Dirty...

What is it about Democratic politicians and their irresistible urge to lie? Even in the post-President Clinton era, lies continue to flow from the lips of prominent Democrats with regularity only matched by lots of fiber. Within the past two weeks alone, we’ve seen Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, surrender to authorities after being indicted for conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justice. Hillary Clinton said she was “sleep-deprived, and I misspoke” when she highly exaggerated about her trip to Bosnia as First Lady 12 years ago, and claimed she was under hostile sniper...

<p>We crucify the man who paid for sex.</p> <p>The woman who charged him, we turn into a star.</p> <p>Go figure. In America, it seems, we like our characters prepackaged. And the prepackaged version of the Eliot Spitzer saga is this: Powerful Man, undone by hubris; Vulnerable Girl, caught up in something bigger than her.</p>

I'm sure you've all heard of the recent scandal in New York where the Governor (Eliot Spitzer, Democrat) was caught up in a call girl ring, but there was another scandal before that in which the Governor's political rival, State Senate majority leader Joe Bruno (Republican) found out that Governor Spitzer was using the State Police to spy on him: "I've been in government 31 years and I've never experienced anything like this," said Bruno. "I was stunned to learn Governor Spitzer is using the fine men and women of the New York State Police to conduct surveillance on me,"...