Henry J. Stern
July 24, 2007
Oy vey.
As you know, we have been critical of Governor Spitzer's behavior for six
months.
Not his goals, but the way he has gone about trying to reach them.
Now, he has gotten himself into real trouble.
The clumsy plot against Bruno, using the State Police for political reasons,
is Nixonian in nature. .
He is now in a situation similar to the one Nixon faced in 1973. He
has denied that he was aware of events which, in the normal course
of business or politics, he would certainly have known. He has thrown
his faithful aide (Darren Dopp) to the wolves, a fate reminiscent of that
which befell Haldeman, Ehrlichman and Mitchell thirty-three years ago.).
In general, top aides do not commit unethical or illegal acts without the
knowledge and approval of their bosses, unless the crime is embezzlement.
People who are professionals in business or politics know that full well.
So do prosecutors. The problem here is that the Governor has
apparently placed himself in a position where, in order to protect him, the
people around him who know the Pfacts will have to commit perjury.
Perjury, lying under oath, is a measure of loyalty usually associated with
criminal gangs. How long a sentence will someone risk to protect a
higher up? What price must a chief executive pay to assure the silence
of others? What would be discovered if public hearings were held on
this matter, and people required to testify under oath? What did the
butler, or the chauffeur, know?
Our judgment is that he and his principal aide, Secretary to the Governor
Richard Baum, should have told the complete truth rather than pleading ignorance
of the plot.. They could have expressed their rightful outrage at Senator
Bruno for using the state plane basically to attend political fundraisers,
and adding some state business to his schedule to justify the junket.
But instead, Spitzer is said to have claimed he did not know what the docile
and devoted Darren Dopp was doing. That may prove to have been a serious
error.
We should all know by now that, at least in politics, the cover-up is usually
worse than the crime. A reader has just pointed out to us that there
are cases where the cover-up is better than the crime, but that is only where
the cover-up is successful, which depends on no one being aware of it. Not
the case here. With cover-ups, there need not even be an underlying crime,
as in the case of Scooter Libby for lying about an act that was not criminal.
The investigation may be held solely for political reasons, or to serve
the ambition of the prosecutor. That is not a crime, either, it may
result in a promotion..
The spectacle of the former Grand Inquisitor now playing defense is no doubt
amusing to many of his enemies and victims.. Nevertheless, the beleaguered
governor is trying to crack a system of favoritism and privilege which keeps
New York State government close to the bottom on ethical standards, accountability,
transparency and prudent spending practices.
Just to remind you what underlies this situation, we bring to your attention
an article by
Ethan
Porter on p21 of yesterday's Daily News, "PURCHASING POWER - Joe Bruno
Buys GOP Support With Millions of Our Tax Dollars" describes conditions which
are outrageous, in terms of misuse and diversion of state funds for political
purposes. Another negative effect of these expenditures is that they
make the legislators pawns of the leader, lest their cut of the pie be shrunk.
It is the multiple sins of Bruno make the blunders of Spitzer more painful
to reformers who had hoped for change. For an earlier insight into
what is going on, see Bill Hammond's column in the July 10 News, "NOW PLAYING
IN ALBANY: Joe Bruno's Last Stand."
Two weeks ago, a lifetime in politics, we wrote here "The Attorney General
has no reason to exert exceptional kindness to anyone who is above him on
the political food chain." We did not imagine that our prediction would
be borne out so quickly.
The hunt continues in today's Post with its full column editorial "
BEYOND
THE CUOMO REPORT". In a column,
NOW
THE GOV'S SURPRISED, The Post praises its reporter,Fredric U. Dicker,
the reporter who first ran with the story on July 5. Another column
on p29 collects a litany of anti-Spitzer quotes under the heading,
LOOKS
LIKE ELIOT'S M.O.,
and choice excerpts from the Cuomo report are printed under the title;
ALL
THE GOVERNOR'S MEN, THE UGLY FACTS. The Times editorial
on the subject appears today on pA22. It offered severe but qualified
criticism, under the headlline
MR. SPITZER'S
UNACCEPTABLE MEANS.
There are many other article and editorials on this subject today in the
five dailies. We have not cited most of them for lack of space, but
you can find them on the websites of the newspapers. If you want more,
it is available to you.
Our advice to the Governor is simple: Tell the whole truth immediately,
and hope that you will be allowed to make a fresh start. Every day
you delay will weaken your ability to hold on to your office. They
will not hesitate to prosecute you, the way you saw to it that they went
after Comptroller Alan Hevesi. The practice of criminalizing political
or economic decisions did not begin with your tenure as Attorney General,
but it is now part of the landscape of public affairs. You may become
its victim.
To put it even more briefly:
Repent, before it is too late.
#396 7.24.07 933wds