Public parade of shame

The year opened with Kwame Kilpatrick's theatrically staged public 'apology' for his adulterous affair, subsequent cover-up, ruining of two cops' careers for telling on him, perjuring himself in court, then defrauding Detroit taxpayers to the tune of 8 million to pay for it -- the whole while with his dutiful wife at his size just taking the humiliation -- without ever claiming responsibility and promising that "I won't quit on you." Welcome to Detroit. ("Kwame Kilpatrick’s public apology" [Hello Negro, January 31, 2008]) His record here is redolent of Marion Barry's in the nation's capital.

Then it was Spitzer with a repeat act, excusing himself, the only silver lining the fact that he resigned: Maggie Gallagher, "Spitzer, stop torturing the wife" (Yahoo!News, March 11, 2008), writes:

Can we end the public practice of trying to shame these wives into divorcing their husbands?

There's a reason we feel impelled to do this these days. Adultery has been redefined as a "private matter," as Spitzer put it in his vain, Clintonian attempt to redirect attention from his crimes to his sin. Because we no longer have any public punishments for adultery, we have turned wives into instruments of the public morality: If she doesn't punish him by divorcing him, he will go unpunished, which is intolerable. (Without some punishment, won't all husbands stray?)

[Hat tip to Prof. E.E.]