Eliot Spitzer: Are we too interested in the private lives of politicians?

The huge scandal in New York has seen Governor Spitzer resign. In this case, I can see the critics having a point as Mr. Spitzer had advertised himself as a relentless crusader against corruption, and then has been implicated in one of the very industries he crusaded against.

In 2007, we saw Sen. Larry Craig, an avowed conservative, implicated in a sex scandal in a Minneapolis airport. Although he had decided to resign, he then rescinded and will serve out his term through 2008, mercifully choosing not to run for re-election for another term.

We've seen Congressman Foley in 2006 in Florida, another conservative, caught in what could at least be considered an inappropriate email relationship with a former house page , with this being quite serious due to the age of the victim. Foley was also out front as a spokesperson against this type of conduct, which again brings the hypocrisy factor into play.

In these three instances, criminal conduct is at least alleged, which makes this much different than a simple affair which should be left basically between the perpetrator, his/her spouse and their higher power.

We have seen many politicians over the years conduct themselves in less than holy ways and conduct their official government business appropriately. One can only expect that in this day and age, with our "gotcha" mentality in the press systematically rearing its ugly head more frequently , fewer and fewer people will expose themselves to the political spotlight and we'll have fewer and probably lesser choices when we cast our ballots in future elections.