By Aliza Davidovit
That powerful men travel down the zippery slope of adultery should come as no shock. Testosterone intoxication brought on by heady power trips has a tendency to misadvise the otherwise wise. Many men have dropped their pants in the wrong places at the wrong times, from James Bakker to Newt Gingrich, from Dick Morris to James McGreevy, from Rudolph Giuliani to Gary Condit. President Clinton didn't even have time to put on his pants – that's why the media always caught him jogging around in his shorts.
Mostly, the reaction is to wag our fingers at some, forgive most and laugh with late night comedians at others. We even supported some cheats – Clinton's popularity rating went up every time he was engaged in a sex scandal. Some of these hot-blooded politicians surprised us more than others, but I can't remember ever being more shocked and disappointed than hearing about Eliot Spitzer, the man who has been called everything from Moses to Crusader, Man of the Year and the Sheriff of Wall Street. There is just something about this story that makes me angry. Short of catching Benjamin Netanyahu in a tutu, nothing could have thrown me more.
When I interviewed Gov. Spitzer for an in-depth profile and cover story, ironically titled, "Fight for Right," I was proud to get the byline. I admired him and supported him. He may not have been liked much, I thought, but he stood up for what he believed in and in his ruthlessness tried to do some good. I never imagined my next story about him would be titled, "Spitzer's 'spritzer' goes to Washington."
During our interview, I had asked why so many smart people got caught doing stupid things. He said he noticed one common thread among these high-profile and otherwise smart wrongdoers – they believed that by virtue of their position they were not bound by the rules that others have to live by.
Obviously, he felt the same applied to him.
He also told me that if he could ask God one question, he'd ask Him, "How can we do better?" If he had asked me that question instead of God, I would have advised him to avoid the Beltway, named in honor of the politicos who drop their belts on their way.
As a New Yorker, I feel betrayed. He destroyed people's lives by bringing down justice upon them while he himself hid dirty deeds. I guess what grates me most is NOT what he did, but that it was he who did it.
As a fellow Jew, I'm embarrassed by his behavior.
As a woman, I feel pain for his wife and family. But I do not believe that women should stand by their men after they've been lied to, cheated on and put them at risk of life-threatening STDS. What are these women teaching their young daughters? That "It's OK if someone treats you like crap and betrays you – stand by his side and forgive him."
Ladies, if he's a shmoe, then you should go!
As for the the frothing, gleeful gang of pundits and politicians who waste time hypothesizing about why he behaved so stupidly, some saying he hates himself, he's arrogant, he wanted to get caught, his mother didn't breast feed him – they ought to stop, especially since, given the opportunity, most of them would do the same. Nonetheless, the answer is as visceral as the reason: He's a man! Somewhere between being a smart power-hungry guy and a sneaky husband, his brains got caught in his zipper.
At the time, Spitzer said in my interview with him that there are indeed people to whom he owes an apology, but he wouldn't say to whom? Now we know!
Should we forgive him? I say no, not while our daughters are watching!
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