Spitzer Makes The Right Choice

Although the resignation letter has not been officially submitted, the cards are down from New York's Governor and his tenure is going to be over today. Lieutenant Governor Paterson will be sworn in this afternoon sworn in on Monday but is technically Acting Governor now and power will be transferred to the Empire State's first African-American Governor out of 55 and only 4th in the country. This will be the sad ending for a once-rising star in the Democratic party.

From WCBS-TV:

There has been no set timetable for an announcement and an official letter of resignation has not been handed down, but both were expected at any moment.

A state official told the Associated Press that the resignation will be effective Monday.

The governor hoped to use the resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid jail time, insiders say, following his alleged involvement in a high-profile prositution ring.

"I think his career is politically at an end," noted criminal defense attorney Ronald Fischetti told CBS 2 HD.

Politically, yes, he is finished. This is not a simple prostitution case, not even close. What Spitzer did and the way he did it is contrary to everything that he said he stood for. He prosecuted and decried those that he caught doing what he was doing himself, even when he was Attorney General he decided to break the law he swore to uphold.

You know I got an email from one of my progressive listservs and it called on supporters to sign a petition to the Governor to hang in there and that this was all the fault of the Bush Administration. Well the Bush Administration is responsible for many, many, many things that have gone wrong in America over the last several years, but guys, this just isn't one of them. What we need to do now as progressives, and as progressives in New York is to rally around our new Governor and help him achieve the things that Eliot Spitzer promised to us when he ran in 2006. Like Mr. Spitzer said, in the long run its about ideas, not people.

Update: And he says it well this morning too:

In the past few days, I've begun to atone for my private failings with my wife Silda, my children, and my entire family. The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me.

From those to whom much is given, much is expected. I have been given much: the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York, and the chance to lead the state. I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me. To every New Yorker and to all those who believed in what I tried to stand for, I sincerely apologize. I look at my time as Governor with a sense of what might have been, but I also know that as a public servant I, and the remarkable people with whom I worked, have accomplished a great deal. There is much more to be done, and I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work.

Over the course of my public life I have insisted – I believe correctly – that people, regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason I am resigning from the office of governor. At Lieutenant Governor Patterson’s request, the resignation will be effective Monday, March 17, a date that he believes will permit an orderly transition. I go forward with the belief, as others have said, that as human beings, our greatest glory consists not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.

As I leave public life I will first do what I need to do to help and heal myself and my family. Then I will try once again, outside of politics, to serve the common good and to move toward the ideals and solutions which I believe can build a future of hope and opportunity for us and for our children. I hope all of New York will join my prayers for my friend David Paterson as he embarks on his new mission. And I thank the public once again for the privilege of service. Thank you very much.

We're Still Waiting Governor

It has now been more than a day since the bombshell broke about our Governor and his dealings with a prostitution ring. Now that we have many more details than yesterday afternoon, it is clear that not only did the Governor commit a misdemeanor by having several liaisons with hookers, but he violated the Mann Act and funneled money in not so ethical ways. Those two counts add up to 25 years in jail if he faced the full extent of the law. Prosecutors haven't said anything about charges yet, but that hasn't stopped the Republican caucus in the state Assembly from acting.

From MSNBC:

NEW YORK - As Gov. Eliot Spitzer faced mounting calls to resign, Republican legislators indicated they will seek to impeach him if he doesn't quit within 48 hours, a spokesman for a leading New York assemblyman said Tuesday.

"The governor has 48 hours to resign or articles of impeachment would be introduced," Josh Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco, told Reuters.

Online editions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Spitzer's top aides expected the governor to resign, although the timing remained uncertain.

While the resignation rumors go back and forth, the clock is ticking for the Governor. Now no Democrat (myself included) likes the idea of Spitzer being impeached, but that is exactly what the caucus intends to do. If it ended up being a party line vote then Spitzer would escape (but not the press) but I have a feeling there are many people in the Assembly that would vote to impeach him. The hypocrisy of it all is so damning it would be ridiculous for an Assemblymember to try and go back to their district and explain that vote. There is one thing that will start to make this go away, and that is the Governor's resignation.

Trent Lott Says Buh Bye

In an official announcement that could come today, Trent Lott will be stepping down from his Senate seat at the end of this year. The Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour will appoint his successor that will serve until next year when an election will be held to see who be the next elected Senator until 2012, since Trent was re-elected only last year.

From TPM:

Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in Pascagoula and Jackson later in the day to reveal his plans. According to congressional and White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective the end of the year.

No reason for Lott's resignation was given, but according to a congressional official, there is nothing amiss with Lott's health. The senator has "other opportunities" he plans to pursue, the official said, without elaborating. The senator is serving his fourth Senate term.

Lott's colleagues elected him as the Senate's Republican whip last year, a redemption for the Mississippian after his ouster five years ago as the party's Senate leader over remarks he made at retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party in 2002. Lott had saluted the South Carolina senator with comments later interpreted as support for southern segregationist policies.

Oh yes, that little outburst back in 2002 sure did cost Senator Lott quite a bit. According to his book, he was shocked that President Bush condemned his comment about wishing for the old segregationist days (how dare he!). It was probably on par for him seeing what kind of response George showed for his neighbors that were wrecked by Hurricane Katrina.

Okay, Katrina was far, far worse in anyone' eyes. Perhaps Trent finally saw the error of the Republican way of dealing with government's relation with the people. When it comes down to it, less government means less services, including federal (and state) responses to disasters. If there isn't any money in the people's bank, then nothing will get done. That was surely evidenced at the end of August of 2005 and it still shows down on the Gulf Coast.

Even though he is only 66 and not in bad health, Trent is leaving disaffected by what was going on with him and his fellows leadership of our country. Oh and that new lobbying rule could be playing a factor in the decision as well. Now there must be a new way. Rep. Chip Pickering is being touted as a replacement, being his protegé and all, but is that what Mississippi and the Senate needs?

I beg to differ, and we might just see that Mississippi does as well, especially with people like Mike Moore being so heavily favored by many in that southern state.

Craig Keeps Chugging

You would have thought that a guilty plea, condemnation from fellow Republican Senators and a public intention to resign from government would have sealed the fate of Larry Craig. One of the most virulent anti-gay crusaders was caught being gay (not a crime of course) and showed yet another example of hypocrisy in Republica-land. He obviously hated himself so much, he had to bash people who's sexual orientation was different from most Americans, but the same as his. Yet to this day, he claims he is not gay....though he is less believable than a muppet. Well now he is reconsidering his resignation, and the story goes on.

From RawStory:

Sen. Larry Craig, who originally resigned from his Senate post after his arrest in a Minnesota airport sex sting, is reconsidering his decision, his spokesman said Tuesday evening.

"We're still preparing as if Senator Craig will resign Sept. 30, but the outcome of the legal case in Minnesota and the ethics investigation will have an impact on whether we're able to stay in the fight - and stay in the Senate," said Sidney Smith, Craig's Idaho spokesman.

Dan Whiting, Craig's spokesmen in Washington, said that the senator was expected to spend the week in Idaho as the Senate votes on spending bills for veterans and other programs this week. Whiting "did not rule out Craig's returning to Washington before the end of the month."

I know there is a large horse community in Idaho...you would think a life-long resident would know when to stop beating one and give up.

Good Riddance To Karl Rove

The sweetest music hit my ears this morning, and it wasn't listening to "The Best Of Van Morrison." According to the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, Karl Rove is leaving the White House at the end of the month. Of course the reason is so that he can spend more time with his family, why else would anyone want to leave the Bush Administration (threats of criminal prosecution aside)? August 31st will end over six years working in the West Wing and many more years of being Bush's brain. The man that led George to so many successes has turned into one of his biggest detriments, and now it is his time to go.

From The Washington Post:

Rove, 56, who escaped indictment in the CIA leak case, has been under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress for his role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and in a series of political briefings provided to various agencies across government. Citing executive privilege, he defied a subpoena and refused to show up for a congressional hearing just two weeks ago on the allegedly improper use by White House aides of Republican National Committee email accounts. Fellow Bush advisers have said they believe the congressional probes have been aimed in part at driving Rove out.

The White House said his departure was unrelated to the investigations. In an interview published this morning, Rove told Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul A. Gigot that he had been interested in leaving last year but did not want to go immediately after the Democrats took over Congress, nor did he want to abandon Bush as he fought for his troop buildup in Iraq and an immigration overhaul.

"I just think it's time," Rove told Gigot in comments confirmed by the White House. The Journal said White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten told Rove and other senior aides that if they stay past Labor Day, they would be expected to remain through the end of the second term, Jan. 20, 2009.

The time was before he even got there, he helped mastermind two stolen election and the manipulation of the American people who mistakenly voted for the worst President of all time. Clearly, he was good at his job. Even more so, he was terrible for this nation. He was a servant of the Bush Administration and an enemy of democracy. Rove was complicit and smack in the middle of many illegalities that have and are taking place in the White House.

The Democratic Congress has been hot on his trail this year after Patrick Fitzgerald could not pursue him anymore in the Valerie Plame trial. Email-gate has stunk up Washington even more than its usual swampy smell and that may ultimately have been his downfall. Now he says he is done with politics for good after more than thirty years of dirty tricks that stretch back to the Nixon years when he was the leader of the College Republicans. He will definitely be missed by the many proteges in that organization, but for this progressive on a sunny New York morning....I'm ecstatic.