Republicans Uncork A Fine Whine Spitzer

And just guess what is being served with the fine whine at Casa de GOP? Thats right, impeachment is on the table! Yep, the news of the foibles of Elliot Spitzer had been public less than 24 hours and the Republicans are seriously threatening impeachment.

State Republicans threatened on Tuesday to impeach New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer if he does not quit over a sex scandal that has raised questions over whether he could face criminal charges.

The threat added to pressure on Spitzer, a Democrat and former state chief prosecutor who made his name fighting white-collar crime on Wall Street, to step down after a report that he hired a high-priced prostitute.

Wow. That was fast. Those Republicans are serious about maintaining the integrity of government. So, what is it that has caused the righteous defenders of honesty, integrity and the rights of the public to throw down impeachment onto the table so quickly?

"If he does not resign within the next 24 to 48 hours, we will prepare articles of impeachment to remove him," said Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco.

"We need a leader in place that has the support of people on both sides of the aisle," Tedisco told Reuters.

The NYT story indicates that the basis for such an impeachment is found in their, and the Wall Street Journal’s, editorials:

"He betrayed the public and it is hard to see how he will recover from this mess and go on to lead the reformist agenda on which he was elected to office."

The Wall Street Journal said Spitzer had shown his lack of restraint in overly aggressive tactics as attorney general, making "extraordinary threats" to entire firms and to those who criticized his pursuit of high-profile Wall Street figures.

"The stupendously deluded belief that the sitting Governor of New York could purchase the services of prostitutes was merely the last act of a man unable to admit either the existence of, or need for, limits," it said in an editorial.

Almost all who read here have been wondering for a long time "just exactly what in the world does it take to get impeachment on the table"? Well, now we know. If you don’t have "support of people on both sides of the aisle", impeachment is on the table. If you "betray the public", impeachment is on the table. "Overly aggressive tactics as attorney general" place impeachment on the table. When the head of the executive branch is "a man unable to admit either the existence of, or need for, limits", impeachment is on the table.

Take a look at this list (as always, thank you Hugh) and explain to me how in the world that Elliot Spitzer’s impeachment is on the table, but that of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Michael Mukasey, Alberto Gonzales, Michael Chertoff and the rest of the merry band of torture, war and snooping magnates is not.

Marcy is right, you guys like to chat up the Passion of the Spitz a lot. Because the earlier thread is getting awfully long, consider this a forum for all things Spitzer related. By the way, as a parting shot, I just have to ask what the hell was Spitzer thinking? A hooker in the Mayflower Hotel? Crikey, did he jog over to the Watergate for a little third rate office burglary too? Moron.