It seems like the most talked about topic on both sides of the Atlantic this week has been the “fall from grace” of New York’s reputed “Sheriff of Wall Street.” Earlier this year my mother – who nearly never strays into the political realm – made some remarks about the now former governor which put Mr. Spitzer on my radar screen. In one of our conversations, mom mentioned, totally unprompted, “Finally, we have someone who actually gets things done in this state.”
Watching the news break on CNN International here in Prague, I was definitely floored. But, I fairly quickly picked my jaw up from off the floor; after all, in today’s age, the bar for what is considered “shocking,” I would say, has hit new heights. Infidelity is nothing new – neither is prostitution, just read the Bible. And, a press conference held by an adulterer with his wife at his side is all too familiar. Yes, seems like this Democratic super delegate has more than one thing in common with Bill and Hillary.
Mr. Spitzer now joins the ranks of other prominent public servants such as former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Randall Tobias, who resigned in 2007 after being linked to a Washington, DC escort service. While Tobias had a long, distinguished career in the private sector before becoming Director of USAID and was ready for retirement or life at least outside of the public sphere, Spitzer was an ascending star not only in New York but even on the national political scene.
Being an American in Europe, one thing that rings clear is that what might fly on the continent doesn’t in the good ole United States. One of my colleagues succinctly summed up this pretty distinct cultural difference, remarking “What on earth was he thinking? Did he think we were France or something?!” Of course, I had to laugh at Joanna’s comment. She is only too right. The likes of France’s Sarkozy and his vacation trysts with an Italian supermodel, now his third wife, would not be tolerated back home. And, I, for one, am glad for it. Integrity – I’ll say it again – is a precious commodity, but it must remain the mark.
1 comment:
Integrity??? What integrity. Typically Americal. It really is hippocracy on you, Americans, part. You were the laughing stock of the world impeaching a very good president you had for having a tryst as you call it with a willing adult. It was none of your bloody business what a person does in private. It takes nothing away from his business or political value. Only, Americans are so naive and stick a bit too close to the bible in public. That also is private.
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