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Will an apology be enough to save Eliot Spitzer?
By Lauren | March 11, 2008
The New York Times reported today that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been identified as a past client of a high-priced prostitution ring. A politician whom the media once nicknamed “Mr. Clean,” Spitzer is suddenly finding his white knight image severely tarnished.
That image was well-deserved. During his two terms as New York Attorney General, Spitzer, whom Time magazine dubbed “Crusader of the Year,” gained a glowing reputation as he battled corruption on Wall Street, prosecuting self-dealing and other unethical practices in insurance companies, brokerage firms and corporate board rooms. Perhaps most famously, Spitzer took on former New York Stock Exchange chairman Richard Grasso, challenging the chairman’s $187.5 million compensation package as excessive and potentially unlawful.
Spitzer has apologized to his family and the public, but that may not be enough to salvage his once-promising political career. Other politicians have certainly had their flings and, in many cases, survived to serve another term. But Spitzer’s past successes placed him on such a high pedestal that he now has a horribly long way to fall. His high ideals may now look like pure hypocrisy to some.
The details of Governor Spitzer’s indiscretions will undoubtedly emerge in the weeks ahead. I hope, however, that the people who’ll scorn his undeniable personal failings will nevertheless also keep his honest efforts to clean up business corruption in mind. Nobody’s perfect. Without condoning what he’s done wrong, we should try to give Governor Spitzer the credit he deserves for what he’s done right.
Topics: Apologies, Personal Ethics |