“I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and that violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong,” Eliot Spitzer said.

The obvious question is just why or how a highly intelligent man like Spitzer worked his way into such a situation.

What follows is my own highly speculative attempt to explain Spitzer’s strange conduct: We begin with the fact that Spitzer is not only a highly intelligent man but also a highly emotional bull of a man. He is devoted to his family, although obviously his wife is not fully able to satisfy his sexual needs.

He might have found himself a girlfriend on the side. But she would have to understand that a marriage was not in the works. How long would a worthwhile woman put up with such a lopsided arrangement?

As a practical-minded man, Spitzer probably decided that a realistic outlet for his emotional needs could be satisfied by a professional prostitute or two who would allow him to vent his libido without any further obligations.

Is there a political future for Spitzer? The old saw says, “To err is human, To forgive is divine.”

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