R.I.P. Eliot Spitzer

As the dust settles over the Spitzer affair, and the details of Eliot's expensive habits become what's left of the story, it's a good time to remember the important points of the case. The technique will be used again soon, I predict.

• He was brought down by a conspiracy of people both inside and outside government, working together.
  
• The story of the bank turning him in to the IRS for the withdrawals from his account is mostly bullshit, but a warning to all those with fancy habits who are not Republicans.
• The charge of structuring, i.e. repeatedly moving money in amounts less that $10K to avoid the requirement to declare all cash transactions over $10K will be more and more useful to investigate those whom the government wishes to fry. In a few years or so we'll be needing $10K for a heavy shopping day at the mall. These limits that are made in the depths of time will sooner or later embroil everyone, while the currency changes, the laws don't.
• The press played its part to the hilt, every headline screamed that Eliot was 'involved in a prostitution ring' or a 'sex ring' or some such folderol about someone who was paying money for sex. These things do not happen by chance, press orchestration was the core of the whole operation. The Rove control of the press remains the dominant media paradigm for the foreseeable future.
• The good that Eliot did, calling some of the Wall Street pirates to account, will be interred with his bones, the evil of being a hypocritical little shit will live on.