The New York Times broke the Spitzer story. They learned of it on Friday and forced his announcement yesterday. But their editorial board, and their Sulzberger family, love the governor soooo much. They love him, but they are also self-appointed guardians of middle class morality! And honor! So what to do? Write the most ridiculously mealy-mouthed editorial ever? Sure! While every other New York paper howled for Spitzer's head, the Times felt that he probably should maybe resign, or at least that it would be perhaps a bad idea not to resign, or something. That is the argument of the lead editorial of the most influential opinion page of the Upper East Side.

In covering Gov. Eliot Spitzer's love for quality prostitutes, the New York tabloids all went with Spitzer's "look of contrition" as their cover art, but none seems to have quite nailed the headline. Sure, the Post's "Ho No!" is punchy and clever and probably the best of the bunch, as you'd expect. The Daily News' "Pay For Luv Gov" is slightly more literate but lacks the all-important slammer. Newsday's headline... well it has an ampersand, which is nice. But when the governor admits to diddling high-class hookers is this really the best the city's scandal sheets can do? Here are our suggestions, follow with your own:

Eliot and Silda Spitzer apparently took fashion notes during the sex scandal of New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey: "If you own an American flag pin wear it to prove you're still patriotic... Your wife should wear any sort of soft blue lady power suit... Nothing says I'll stand by you more than a pearl necklace." [Blakeley on Boinkology]

"It's a trend of sorts among political men who have done wrong — the puckered-lip look of contrition." [AM New York]

Just before her husband publicly confessed to a high-priced prostitute habit, Silda Spitzer gave a happier video interview to lifestyle magazine Domino about all the eco-friendly things happening at the governor's mansion. In the video, Silda Spitzer comes across as warm, a bit fun, and hot enough to play a governor's wife on a premium cable show, if not a movie. Lord knows why Eliot Spitzer cheated — is there ever a good reason? — but after watching Silda Spitzer in action it becomes all the more baffling. A brief look at Silda after the jump.

• Spitzer paid to see a lady and he's sorry. He said so on the TV.
  

You know New York Governor Eliot Spitzer slept with a prostitute, in Washington, DC. But: do you know how much he paid? (HINT: Not $5,000. It seemed to be more like $3k with a down payment on a future visit) Why the escort service considered him "unsafe"? The arcane details of obtaining store credit with an international prostitution ring? We read the FBI affidavit so you don't have to, then we summed up the prevailing arguments in favor of Spitzer's survival of this political storm and the trends that could spell his doom, in convenient "bullet point" format. Print it out and read it aloud to co-workers at Happy Hour tonight. They will think you're very clever.

Let's be clear: Today's takedown has nothing to do with stopping prostitution. It's about bringing down the governor of New York. There are three things you need to know before tonight's cocktail-party chatter. Most people will get them wrong — and that's the way the media wants it.

Dear Silda Wall Spitzer,

So. Today was awkward, huh? Your husband of 20 years cheated on you with a prostitute. A high class prostitute, sure, but still someone he paid money to for sex. And for a woman like you, a Harvard trained lawyer who never wanted to be a political wife anyway, standing silently by while your husband sort of apologized for cheating must have taken everything you had. We want you to know, it's okay to be mad.

Governor Eliot Spitzer still might resign tonight. David Paterson—whoever the hell that is—could be our governor by 7 p.m. tonight. But nothing's actually happened yet, and Fox already falsely reported resignation rumors this afternoon. So obviously the only fair way to do this is by putting it to a vote. Gawker readers, New York's fate is in your hands. He's done something shockingly, breathtakingly stupid, but also something that, outside of its illegality, has absolutely no bearing on his ability or inability to govern (you know where we stand). So, a poll:

The bad news for Eliot Spitzer is that he's been linked to a prostitution ring. But the good news is that it's a high-class prostitution ring. He's not the first public person to get caught having inappropriate sex, and he won't be the last. Spitzer's reputation as the moral Governor may be over — and our idealization of Spitzer ended before this scandal — but that doesn't mean his career is. In the case of sex scandal, there are three models Spitzer can follow.

[New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who may resign over a prostitution scandal, with his wife Silda at today's press conference; image via AP]

These are the lovely ladies of the Emperors' Club Spokes Model Portfolio—the front for the high-class prostitution ring that counted New York Governor Eliot Spitzer among its devoted clients. While these photos look like they've either been cut from magazines (Albany Vogue?) or borrowed from the headshots pile at local news station, there's a chance one of them might actually be "Kristen", Governor Spitzer's date that lonely February night in Washington DC. Other models, some of whose pictures are rapidly disappearing from here, might be more likely candidates, but these are the only ones with faces we've got. If you spot "Kristen", described in the FBI affidavit as "American, petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet, and 105 pounds", please send a picture our way.

Back in 2002, Eliot Spitzer, then New York's attorney general, published internal emails from Merrill Lynch analyst Henry Blodget . Blodget was shown trashing stocks he had publicly touted. The SEC charged Blodget with fraud and eventually banned him from the securities industry for life. Now Blodget edits Silicon Alley Insider. Look who's publishing now.

Governor Eliot Spitzer apparently got one of those street-smart hookers with hearts of gold. He had, as the attached passage shows, a reputation as something of a difficult client. But "Kristen"? She straightened him out. The Smoking Gun has posted the Spitzer-relevant portions of the FBI affidavit detailing the operation of the Emperors Club, in case you were curious about how a governor goes about setting up a date while he's on a business trip. [TSG]

Emperors Club, the "spokesmodel" agency claimed to be an illegal girlfriend-for-hire service whose clients include New York governor Eliot Spitzer, is "temporarily unavailable." Good thing I hit Print Screen a minute ago.

This is the one little sentence of text [click to enlarge] from the legal complaint that may bring down Spitzer. The Times confirms that "The man described as Client 9 in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, Emperors Club VIP, on the night of Feb. 13. Mr. Spitzer traveled to Washington that evening, according to a person told of his travel arrangements." [NYT] The full text of the legal complaint can be found here.

Here's New York Governor Eliot Spitzer apologizing for, well, no doubt you've heard. The scandal hasn't yet brought down Spitzer, but it did lay NYTimes.com low for a while.

With Eliot Spitzer's announcement today that he was a client of a recently busted prostitution ring, and the speculation on his resignation flying, it's probably safe to say that his Governorship will not, in the end, be remembered as the glorious flowering of a new and reformed Albany. How the hell did it ever come to this? And, uh, are we the only ones who think he shouldn't resign?

Well, Eliot Spitzer has not resigned as Governor of New York. Not yet, at least. But Fox News' report may still be accurate. The governor's statement sounds like a farewell. He begins in the past tense, and goes on to say that change is a matter of ideas, rather than individuals. That is to say, even if Spitzer's political career is over, his ideas will live on. Good luck with that. Here's the statement: "We sought to bring real change to New York, and that will continue. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family, and violates my or any sense of right and wrong. I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, to whom I promised better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the State of New York. I am disappointed not to live up to the standard I set for myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family."