The New York Times broke the story of the year Monday afternoon:

"[New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer … has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a law enforcement official and a person briefed on the investigation."

New York Governor Elliot Spitzer has a new first name: John.

Federal wiretaps on a high-end prostitution ring known as "Emperor's Club VIP" led to four arrests last week on charges stemming from a 1910 law known - onomatopoeiacally - as the Mann Act, which makes it a federal crime to (again, according to the NYT) "transport a person across state lines for the purpose of prostitution."

Several of the wiretaps captured a communication from a man who was identified in the Federal complaint as "Client Number Nine."

Client Number Nine is Elliot Spitzer.

Client Number Nine got caught looking for a little Love Potion Number 9 at the Mayflower Hotel in Your Nation's Capital on the night of February 13.

I don't know much about this stuff, but don't you think he must be wondering who were Clients 1-8?

I couldn't care less if Elliot Spitzer goes to professionals to - as we used to say during the Great Depression - get his ashes hauled. What the press corps needs to focus on - FIXATE on - is the matter of hypocrisy.

Elliot Spitzer is a hypocrite.

Elliot Spitzer, as New York Attorney General saw himself as Elliot Ness, rooting out wealthy and powerful evildoers where ever they might be. Elliot Ness, as far as I know, did not occasionally slip into a Speakeasy for a glass or two. Spiderman doesn't shoplift from candy stores.

According to news reports the high-end prostitution ring was known as the Emperor's Club. According to those same reports, prostitutes charged as much as $3,100 per hour.

I have a fairly active imagination, but even if A LOT of Beach Volleyball were involved, I can't think of anything which would be worth $3,100 per hour.

According to Reuters, the complaint describes "six telephone calls between Client 9 and one of the defendants that were intercepted by wiretaps between February 12 and 13."

It seems the john was a little tardy in sending along the deposit so the defendants told Client Number 9 that it might be a good idea to bring along an additional $1,500 to leave as a credit balance against future action "to avoid further payment issues."

You an read this stuff as well as I can, but this being a Presidential election year there are implications. Political implications. Inasmuch as Elliot Spitzer has been a supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton it has really BIG political implications.

If I were advising the Republican Party of New York, I would grab news accounts of Spitzer raising money for and/or campaigning with every Democrat in the State. I would demand that every one of those candidates (who are now, because of the political tsunami in New York in 2006, public officials) give back whatever money was raised with Spitzer's aid back to the donors or to charity.

You may remember that Hillary Clinton first supported, then opposed, then supported, then opposed again Spitzer's plan to give illegal aliens New York State drivers' licenses. And she did that all within the same question at one debate.

As for Republicans in New York? They should hire Martha Reeves and the Vandellas to travel up and down Broadway singing, "Dancing in the Street."

As for me? Forget everything bad I've ever written about the New York Times.