Endearingly batty New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams brought her wisdom to bear on the Spitzer dust up, addressing Spitzer's wife like so: I want to tell her - so what. She may not longer be New York's first lady, but a husband hooking up with a hooker is not reason enough to no longer be a married lady.
Sex, a primal need, outpoints fear, hunger and love as mankind's No. 1 driving force. Unless you're a pig or a monk, many an able-bodied - and I use that term deliberately - 48-year-old husband of 21 years has grazed. I'm not advocating it. I'm merely saying, so what? It's like takeout food. Less work for mother.
Did she say TAKEOUT FOOD? And it gets even wackier from there. Adams writes:
A man who adores a woman enough to make his family with her and wants her forever as No. 1 in his life in a drawing room or dining room might also respect and treasure her too much for what he wants in a bedroom.
Paying a pro isn't disrespect to his wife. Disrespect is keeping, supporting, housing a mistress with whom there's an ongoing relationship and with whom you share not only time but emotions and thoughts and life. Disrespect is dumping into a trash bin that partner, long out of the workforce after giving her all including her youth, to marry whatever new twinkie works your male menopausal pinky.
The real reason this Cindy Adams column seems so crazy, beyond its insanely old-fashioned concept of male-female relationships, is that she seems blithely unaware of why this scandal is so sad to so many of us: we thought he was a genuinely honest, good guy. It turns out he not only committed a crime while prosecuting others who commit such crimes, but he showed in his manner a truly depraved character.
Specifically:
He haggled over price. Tacky.
He asked the women to do "not safe" things. Creepy.
He got caught, throwing the state's government into chaos and destroying his home. Pathetic.
He committed the ultimate hypocrisy. Unforgivable.
This guy is more than "reckless," as he's been described by some colleagues. He's bad.
There's a difference between hiring a prostitute or having an affair because you're lonely (which we can understand) and hiring a prostitute because you want to show off how powerful you are, to make a woman do something that even experienced hookers balk at. That's just gross. And it reveals a flawed character that would not make a good governor, or a good husband - for anyone except maybe Cindy Adams.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. I don't agree with Cindy Adams, Ada, but I think you also go off the deep end. I am curious just how you know Spitzer's motivations for hiring a hooker. For God's sake, Mrs. Spitzer is not the first woman to have a husband cheat on her with a hooker or any other woman. And she will not be the last.
What is most tragic in these circumstances is the children of these politicians - especially if the children are young - the humiliation of having to face their friends in and out of school and the knowledge their father is unfaithful to their mother - that can be a lot for kids to bear.
As to these political wives, they have little choice but to stand by their men - at least until the cameras are gone. I feel for them, yes, but they are grown ups - they will be OK one way or another.
Both political parties have their share of hypocrite politicans - too bad they don't think about their families when they engage in this foolish behavior.
David S. at 7:48PM on Mar 12th 2008
2. OMG, I'm actually agreeing with Ada on this one. I can't believe it! That Cindy Adams would offer these little nuggets of arcane, old-fashioned advise in the middle of this controversy is in terrible taste. I'm sure that Spitzer's wife is hurting pretty badly at this time. The last thing she probably need is some out of touch,
sanctimonious, locked in the past columnist to tell her how she should feel. What she's basically saying is "get over it."
April at 7:54PM on Mar 12th 2008
3. What is wrong with this Cindy Adams lady?! She sounds insane!
Screwing someone else isn't disrespecting his wife because he paid a prostitute for it? That makes it ok, like a business transaction? Yeah, right.
I would not put up with that crap, not for a second, no way, no how.
What about when he brings home some VD to his wife? Don't tell me prostitutes are tested after each and every sexual encounter.
Unbelievable.
Amanda at 9:23PM on Mar 12th 2008
4. what a skanky looky slut,ewww!!!!
Diane at 10:13PM on Mar 12th 2008
5. Once I would like to see the wife of one of these hypocrites stay off the podium. Once I'd like to see a woman simply let the guy stand up there and be humiliated on his own. To me that is the appropriate response from a wife in this situation--regardless of whether they stay together or split, regardless of their future as a couple, the public aspect of this is something HE asked for and HE ought to have to face solo.
I find the willingness of these women to "stand by their man" (at least at the "confessional podium") not to be something particularly admirable.
Kelly at 10:19PM on Mar 12th 2008
6. What amazes me is that a guy worth $500 MILLION completely overlooked the fact that the Feds have been monitoring wire transfers of $10k or more since the EIGHTIES. Your bank HAS to report you, by law. So what does this dummy do? Throw flags all over the place not once, but multiple times. You're transferring large sums of money to a prostitution ring, most probably offshore in a red zone like the Caymens. It probably stands to reason that someone in Fed law enforcement is watching all this like a hawk. If this is the kind of no-brainer mistakes the ruling "Class" is making, no wonder we're in the trouble we're in! Is this the kind of guy we need at the helm of one of the most economically vital states in the union?? A guy, and a LAWYER to boot(!), who didn't get the most basic tenants of moving money around. We're talking a simple fact surrounding simple wire transfers. I can only imagine what kind of fall his ilk have set NY up for with all this sub-prime, CDO junk floating around.
Mosby at 10:30PM on Mar 12th 2008
7. PS: His wife is much better looking than this screwball he was paying way, way too much to wank around with. The guy is a Bozo across the board, period. His wife is hanging next to him all "Stand by your man"-ish because she's gonna get an extra 40% when she cashes in and quietly departs here in a few months.
Mosby at 10:49PM on Mar 12th 2008
8. I gotta say, it's been a while since I last took a good look at Cindy Adams. Just a moment's reflection on that picture of her, though, has me thinking that I'm pretty sure I'd go for some "(way post-) menopausal pinky" and other "not safe" things with her. I adore my wife so much that I just have to got all sweaty and freaky with that old crone; no way would my dear, sweet wife want to do the sort of depraved things I have in mind for Miss Takeout Food.
Vernon James at 10:50PM on Mar 12th 2008
9. ARE YOU KIDDING? NO FEMALE SHOULD STAND AROUND WHILE HER HUSBAND HAS DONE THIS WITH WHO KNOWS HOW MANY PROSTITUTES AND THE GIRL NOW SHOWING UP IS 5 YEARS OLDER THAN ONE OF HIS DAUGHTERS.
THAT STAND BY YOUR MAN STUFF IS OLD NEWS!!!
KATE at 11:28PM on Mar 12th 2008
10. This is the best news conservatives like to hear having Democrats like Spitzer break down. If it was a republican they would leave office.
jonathanwinchell2000 at 12:55AM on Mar 13th 2008
11. # 10, you are absolutely right. Adams type of morality is straight out of the 1950's! She sounds like one of my older relatives. Maybe she thinks this way based on personal experience. She was probably so used to her own husband doing it that she thinks it's normal!
April at 1:52AM on Mar 13th 2008
12. You women can comlain all you want, but reality is reality... There are all types of men out there, and some men just happen to feel that there's no p*ssy like new p*ssy.
You can get on you "NEW AGE WOMAN" soapbox all you want, but the fact remains that men have NEVER been satisfied with one woman, and will never be! You may think you have the "perfect" guy at home, but he's probably either f*ckin someone else, or wishin he was. It doesn't mean he loves you any less, it just means he has an urge that you can't quite fulfill.
Now, if he leaves yo for her, then you have reason to complain...
If not, SHUT UP AND STOP COMPLAINING!!!
GET A GRIP, BITCHES! at 1:03PM on Mar 13th 2008
13. I cant believe these stupid wives of these jerk off husbands. Is this the kind of person you want to help run our already screwed up country??He apparently is so addicted to sex that he loses all control of what is right and what is wrong!! What a screwed up world we are in God help us!!!!!
m mooney at 4:49AM on Apr 2nd 2008
14. AH!! CINDY ADAMS WHO ONCE VOTED FOR DUKAKIS, WILKIE, DEWEY, MILLARD FILLMORE, AND JEFFERSON DAVIS. SHE OF THE WRINKLED HANDS (HER FACE CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE). WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO GIVE MATRIMONIAL ADVICE. AFTER YEARS OF LISTENING TO YOUR FEMI-NAZI SPEWINGS YOU WIMP OUT AND WANT A LADY--YES A LADY, LIKE SILDA TO STAND BY HER MAN. I'LL BET YOU GAVE THE SAME ADVICE TO HILLARY WHO WILL NOT SCREW JUST MONICA AND ALL THOSE OTHERS. SHE'LL SCREW EVERYONE IN THE USA EXCEPT YOU. HILLARY CAN'T STAND UGLINESS--WHICH IS WHY FROM 1992-2000, THERE WERE NO MIRRORS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
SILDA SHOULD KICK ASS AND TEACH HER 3 LOVELY CHILDREN THAT THEY SHOULDN'T PUT UP WITH SUCH FILTH.
YOU AND HILLARY SET BACK TRUE WOMANHOOD--NOT THE FEMI-NAZI TYPE, 100 YEARS. GO BACK TO YOUR CAVE.
gonefishin at 2:59AM on Mar 13th 2008
15. you every one forgets just how fucking ugly this spitzer guy is. he has a horrible temper everone says and i bet he has used that temper on his wife.she probably liked the power (iheard she did not want the ugly creep to resign ) she probably hasnt been giving him none because of his mean temper and he just took the expensive way out. she probably had an idea he was doing this thats why she isnt shocked. heck she should not leave him hes worth muco dinero and she will get it when he dies of blue balls.
forkuu at 5:47AM on Mar 13th 2008