Headlining on The Drudge Report:

Apparently the new governor of New York, David Paterson, has some scandal of his own (as does his wife), albeit he confessed it himself and didn't use government money to pay for his infidelity:
The thunderous applause was still ringing in his ears when the state's new governor, David Paterson, told the Daily News that he and his wife had extramarital affairs.In a stunning revelation, both Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago.
In the course of several interviews in the past few days, Paterson said he maintained a relationship for two or three years with "a woman other than my wife," beginning in 1999.
...
"This was a marriage that appeared to be going sour at one point," Paterson conceded in his first interview Saturday. "But I went to counseling and we decided we wanted to make it work. Michelle is well aware of what went on."
In a second interview with Paterson and his wife Monday, only hours after he was sworn in to replace scandal-scarred Eliot Spitzer, Michelle Paterson confirmed her husband's account.
"Like most marriages, you go through certain difficult periods," Michelle Paterson said. "What's important is for your kids to see you worked them out."
The First Couple agreed to speak publicly about the difficulties in their marriage in response to a variety of rumors about Paterson's personal life that have been circulating in Albany and among the press corps in recent days.
They spoke in the governor's office even as scores of friends, family members and political supporters were celebrating in the corridors of the Capitol his ascension to the state's highest post.
Given the call-girl scandal that erupted last week and forced Spitzer's stunning resignation, Paterson conceded that top government officials are bound to come under closer scrutiny for their personal actions.
The governor flatly denied what he called a "sporadic rumor in Albany that I had a love child" by another woman. "That's just not true," he said.
...
The romantic relationship he did have, Paterson said, lasted until sometime in 2001. He did not identify the former girlfriend.
...
Asked if he had used government or campaign funds to pay for any rendezvous with his former girlfriend, Paterson said he had not.
All this, of course, would normally be considered part of the private life of any government official.
Even though this probably isn't technically "as bad" as the Spitzer scandal, it's not any good, either. I do appreciate Gov. Paterson just coming out and admitting it, though, even though he didn't seem nearly as remorseful as one would expect. Reading that article, I got the vibe of daisy chains and peace signs from Paterson and his wife. It's all good, man...we're cool.
Eh. I was hoping for a bigger political bombshell, personally. Sorry, Drudge, this doesn't quite measure up to the Lewinsky scandal.
-Cydney
Cross-posted on The Celebrity.
Posted by Cydney at March 17, 2008 07:22 PM | Email Thisspitzer's schtick as attorney general was truth, honesty and ability to bring down corporations (whether guilty or not). it is spitzer's schtick that made his actions worse.
good thing he was caught or someone would have put him up as Supreme Court justice under the clinton presidency. or so the rumor goes.
Posted by: swatter on March 18, 2008 07:14 AM