Politicians And Prostitutes: It Just Sounds Right

What is it about politicians that compel them to partake in lewd, wrong, or just plain illegal acts? Is it the money? Is it the fame? Is it the power? The answer to this question very well may be all three of these things, considering many a politician have money, power, and fame and for the most part, cannot stay out of trouble. These days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a politician that is acting in an acceptable manner and in accordance with the law. Case and point; Gov. Eliot Spitzer. While it's true the Governor made a living putting away wrong-doers as attorney general, it still comes as no surprise that Spitzer has been caught up in a prostitution ring. After all, politicians and prostitutes are like peanut butter and jelly, you can't have one without the other.

Spitzer, however, won't be the first powerful politician who could be dethroned by scandal, particularly in the Tri-State area.

The Democrat joins a list that includes politicians and officials from Rockland and Westchester counties, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut.

Who can forget the exploits of former President Bill Clinton? The Chappaqua resident saw his tenure as Commander-in-Chief severely tarnished following a fling with infamous White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Clinton's exploits, which include allegations of adultery with other women, go back to his years as Arkansas governor.

In Rockland County, former Assemblyman Ryan Karben, D-Monsey, resigned while being accused of having improper relationships with male interns. What's more, Karben was recently arrested for driving while intoxicated. His lawyer for the DWI charge is Kenneth Gribetz, the former Rockland district attorney felled by scandal in the 1990s after more than two decades as the county's top prosecutor.

While Gribetz pleaded guilty to minor federal charges of tax invasion and misusing money in 1995 after a long corruption investigation, he was taken down by his sexual relationship with a woman.

The woman provided federal prosecutors and the media with documents and salacious photos and tape recordings involving her and Gribetz, who is married with adult daughters.

Another prosecutor smeared by scandal was former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Many like to blame Pirro's downfall on her husband. Al Pirro, who seemingly could not stay out of trouble during his wife's tenure as DA, boasted a laundry list of troublesome issues, including connections to organized crime, tax evasion, and driving while intoxicated. As if all this wasn't enough, Mr. Pirro also fathered a child with another woman while still married to Jeanine.

Pirro's husband certainly did not help her cause. However, he was not the entire problem, considering Pirro was not exactly a model citizen. I would know on a more personal level. When I was in high school, an otherwise normal day ended in tragedy after an inexplicable power outage forced school officials to close school early. As a result, a great deal of students with the means to leave campus went to various unsupervised houses to celebrate the impromptu day off from school. Several students, including some acquaintances and classmates of mine, attended a party hosted by the daughter of one of Pirro's family friends and campaign contributors. The day resulted in tragedy, as a young man was killed following a series of unfortunate events. The story contains considerable depth and detail, but that is the very basic summary of what had happened on that terrible day.

What followed, was nothing short of a cover-up, as Pirro looked to preserve her own reputation, the integrity of her child, and the image of the DA's own good friends and campaign contributors. To this day, no real severe consequences were felt by any of those people at fault, teens or adults, involved in the incident and it's subsequent actions. Shocking, considering Pirro was the acting DA in charge of the case.

Not to be outdone by Clinton, Karben, Pirro and fellow misbehaving New York political figures, former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey resigned in 2004 when his affairs with men became public. McGreevey, governor for nearly two years, was married and had two children.

His successor, former Sen. John Corzine, has fought off accusations of favoritism and payments to a lobbyist who had been his lover. He was divorced at the time.

Former Waterbury, Conn., Mayor Philip Giordano was convicted in 2003 of using an interstate device, his cell phone, to arrange sexual contact with two girls and of violating their civil rights. He is serving 37 years in prison.

This list can go on for a while, but there is only so much one can write on this subject. Mr. Spitzer is certainly not alone during his time of crisis. When this is all over, perhaps he can get in touch with any of the aforementioned politicians and get some advice on how to handle a tainted and/or destroyed career.

In the end, Spitzer's actions, along with those actions of his peers, shows that maybe the process by which we select politicians is not succeeding in choosing the most honorable, trustworthy, and law-abiding people.

Perhaps we should use comedian Lewis Black's method of selecting the next American president, something he devised in light of the current dope residing in the oval office. It goes as follows: Have the American Idol winner throw a dart at a map of the United States. Then, put a monkey on an airplane and have him parachute down on the town or city the dart landed on. The first person the monkey holds hands with upon landing will be the new president. Maybe Black is on to something.