Spitzer Under Attack
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is acting guilty says Michael Goodwin - who is not letting Spitzer off the hook for the attempted political destruction of the NY state Senate majority leader.
With Spitzer continuing to act as if he has something to hide, let's assume he does.
In that case, Spitzer must keep doing what he's doing - following a rope-a-dope strategy of alternately apologizing and being defiant and hope that public interest fades. He should keep complaining about partisan attacks and demand Albany get back to what he called "the needs of New Yorkers."
Of course, Spitzer also must succeed in his quest to handpick the inquisitors for the next investigation. If he's guilty, the last thing he wants is to face an independent, professional prosecutor under oath.
Koch, who supports Spitzer, told me he can forgive almost anything "except perjury."
Spitzer has shown evidence of guilt from the beginning on the key issue of whether his office cooperated with investigators who exposed the plot against Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. The governor's repeated claim that he cooperated fully with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and his own inspector general was true only in Spitzerland. In the real world, his office stopped two main players from being questioned and designated two others as "special counsels" for reasons that aren't clear. His office denies that the aim was to shield the two from investigators, but it hasn't offered a good alternative explanation.
In addition, a probe by Inspector General Kristine Hamann, whom Spitzer appointed, appears to have been a sham. A spokesman for Hamann conceded the office didn't even attempt to question the two key aides Spitzer's office blocked from talking to Cuomo's investigators. Yet the spokesman said Hamann agreed with the Cuomo report that sanctions against the two were "appropriate."
That's bizarre - the inspector general doesn't try to talk to the people it decides are guilty of misconduct. Nor did Hamann prepare a report on her findings.
Meanwhile, The intended victim of the political dirty tricks that originated in Spitzer's offices, Joe Bruno, is going on the offensive himself. In an op-ed in the Opinion Journal, Bruno is demanding that Spitzer come clean on the entire mess. One senses that Bruno has not really forgiven Spitzer despite the latter's public apology.
The abuse of power now being alleged is a very serious matter that has placed a cloud over state government. It is especially damaging because the scandal involves misusing state troopers and alleged misconduct by the governor's top aides, including the state assistant secretary for Homeland Security. New Yorkers have made it clear in several polls that they believe the governor knew about the smear campaign and should publicly testify about what he knew and when he knew it.
It is troubling that a governor who campaigned on ethics, openness and accountability, is now trying to sweep the "Troopergate" matter under the rug. But it is not surprising. This is not an isolated incident. It is just the most serious example of a pattern of behavior that raises very serious questions about the governor's judgment, temperament and ability to govern New York State.
When Mr. Spitzer took office earlier this year, the Republican Senate majority–and I, as majority leader–pledged to work with him on critical issues such as strengthening our economy, creating jobs, keeping communities safe and cutting taxes. But we quickly found that we did not have a willing partner. We found a man who did not respect opposing viewpoints and who verbally threatened those who disagreed with him.
In his public statements and behind the scenes, the governor has refused to work in a bipartisan manner. Instead, he has politicized his office like no other governor in history. Rather than negotiating and compromising with people who challenged him, Mr. Spitzer tried to eliminate them. That is dangerous for democracy.
One also can sense that Bruno senses an opening to slam the dictatorial Spitzer and force some changes in the governor's behavior. This is a widening attack now and Spitzer may well be in real political trouble. It is unlikely that Bruno would have launched this broadside if he did not think it would work.
