Alan Dershowitz, the well-known Harvard Law School professor, offered his profound insight into the cause of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (NY-D) very recent downfall: It's America's fault.
I happened to catch Mr. Dershowitz's comments this afternoon on MSNBC. He was interviewed by phone not 90 minutes (it was probably within the hour) after the New York Times broke the story of Spitzer's involvement with a high-society prostitution ring. In Huffington Post blogger Sam Stein's piece posted late today, we find a video link of Dershowitz's MSNBC appearance; Stein quotes Dershowitz saying that Spitzer's fall from grace is "a uniquely American story:"
"I feel terrible for Eliot and his family ... But I feel that this was a story that we have to put in perspective. Big deal. Married man goes to prostitute. In Europe, this wouldn't even make the back pages of the newspaper."
Amazing, no? America is to blame for Gov. Spitzer's political and moral decline, or so avers Mr. Dershowitz. After all, if America could only get over its moral archaisms; if it would just show the moral maturity of France or Italy, Spitzer would not be losing all his political capital in what is really, in the proper scheme of things, no "big deal."
In short, Spitzer is a victim.
To be honest, I am grateful Spitzer is not being accused of cannibalism, for surely the American outcry would be just as embarrassing. Everybody knows eating one's neighbors is not newsworthy among certain tribes in Papua New Guinea.
Consider it another victory for European moral hegemony. And to think America is considered imperialistic, imposing its standards on the world.
©Bill Gnade 2008/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.
9 comments:
Oh man, that is rich! Why do the media outlets seek that man out? He is too glib by half! Now the whole thing will be spun as a Republican covert operation. I wonder if the stone faced Mrs will vote for McCain this coming election.
I visit France and Italy often. So what it would not make the news there? It does not make them morally mature. Odd statement.
Chris,
I just heard Mr. Dershowitz repeat his arguments on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN. He did mention that the prosecution of "victimless crimes" such as this one (his allegation) are fodder for Republican prosecutors. He added that the sex laws, particularly the Mann Act, that are used to prosecute certain crimes regarding johns and prostitutes, should be scratched from the books, as they can be used selectively against political opponents.
In the end, Mr. Dershowitz chided America for not being able to ignore a leader's personal and private life, and for not being able to preserve the notions that great leaders are often flawed and that the flaws should not nullify what is otherwise pure greatness.
The Commentator,
Perhaps Mr. Dershowitz was not referring to either Italy or France. Maybe he was referring to Russia, or even Amsterdam.
Best to you both,
Gnade
With all due respect to Mr. Dershowitz (and no more) prostitution is not a victimless crime. Just because hookers and johns "consent" doesn't make it any less scarring or soul destroying.
Odgie,
I agree with you re: prostitution's harm to society.
What I think we are seeing with Mr. Dershowitz -- who called into MSNBC to make his comments yesterday (or so reported the HuffPo) -- is really one man's defense of his friend. Dershowitz taught Spitzer at Harvard Law.
I heard Anderson Cooper go out of his way last night to warn viewers that "real people are involved here," such as a wife and children, and thus we should tread gently around this bit of sad news, staying clear of judgmentalism. I wonder if Mr. Cooper issued that same sort of warning when various prominent evangelicals were caught with their pants down (a fair question, since I saw several news programs, Cooper's included, compare this "downfall" to the likes of Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Hastert, and others); I also wonder if Cooper showed such concern for Sen. Larry Craig. Who knows?
Lastly, Dershowitz used the term "sexual deviancies" last night; the context was that America should get over the various sexual deviancies of its leaders. But I thought there were no such things as sexual deviancies anymore. Such a term is surely archaic, at least in the largely liberal world Mr. Dershowitz inhabits. Deviancy implies a standard.
Gnade
I wonder what Alan thinks about those portions of the Mann Act which prohibit transporting minors across state lines for purposes of engaging in intimate relations?
As far as the rest of it goes, I must confess I find it difficult to wrap my mind around the idea that for public figures, certain criminal prohibitions to which the rest of us are subject do not apply, indeed are patently absurd or unfair. Alas, what's never mentioned is that all such laws are passed by a legislature and signed by a governor, who swears to uphold the law.
This is why I never listen to talking heads anymore.
Cheers.
Is this the same Governor who supports a same-sex marriage law? I wonder what services he was requesting from the prostitute, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
After this "blows over," I hope someone will compare and contrasst how the media treats Spitzer vs how Republicans caught in the act have been treated.
Dear Underground Pewster,
Perhaps you'll find this link revelatory: surely we can guess how Republicans would be -- or have been -- treated simply by observing how the mainstream press could not allow itself to state Spitzer's political party affiliation as his tragedy unfolded.
Fairly typical stuff. If Spitzer was a Republican, the word Republican would be in nearly every headline and news lead. We WILL NOT be hearing, from The Daily Kos to the New York Times, ANY mention of the "culture of corruption" (which is, apparently, the Democratic party).
I understand someone at the Daily Kos immediately proclaimed that George Bush is responsible for Spitzer's downfall: "Mark my words," wrote the DK blogger, "this has the Bush administration's fingerprints all over it." The irony is that in the most inflated sense the Kos writer is correct, but only insofar as the FBI is part of the executive branch of government. So the Kos writer is well-protected should anyone open his mind. And if you read the aforementioned Daily Kos entry, it is clear the blogger does not know how to spell 'Eliot' or 'Spitzer.' The latter he apparently posted as 'Spencer' until his readers corrected him. Too funny. (I have it on good authority that the Bush administration is indeed gunning for Mr. Spencer.)
Peace and mirth,
Gnade
The comments on that Daily Kos post are hilarious.
No doubt, the NSA or CIA or FBI had a hand in the misspellings as a part of a broader campaign to discredit the administration's enemies.
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