Hello, “Kristen”

On the same day ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer quit his post, media outlets around the world moved on to the next phase of the story that sunk the “Hooker Happy” governor - outing the prostitute who met him in Washington.

Kristen is actually Ashley Dupre, a Jersey Shore runaway living in New York City, trying to make a living as a musician and, well, never mind.

She said she’s “no monster” and if you really want to read more about her, click here.

As the media firestorm around Spitzer’s demise continues, the New York Post was all-too happy to report that “Chilly Silva Boots Eliot From Bed.” You can’t make this stuff up.

Of course the editorial boards were thrilled Spitzer came out of his Fifth Avenue apartment long enough to let everyone know that he’s quiting.

The Daily News:

Spitzer was far the opposite. A man of deeply flawed character, he proved unsuited for public office. Most seriously, he was prone to dishonesty.

The trait showed itself in 1998 when Spitzer flat-out lied about the financing of his two campaigns for attorney general. It seemed an isolated incident, a lapse through which he had grown and learned painful lessons. But he hadn’t.

Spitzer’s rule hinged on probity. When that was gone, he had nothing. There was no reservoir of good will because other aspects of his personality - ego, bullying, self-righteousness - had alienated many.

Hope that Spitzer would reform Albany, both in how business is conducted and what the capital produces, died a slow, painful death. If anything, the forces of the dreadful status quo were strengthened.

The New York Times points out that Spitzer leaves the Democrats weakened:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer did exactly the right thing on Wednesday, announcing his resignation after 14 months in office. His departure spares New Yorkers more of this sordid spectacle. And it means that Lt. Gov. David Paterson can now prepare to take over and begin addressing the state’s many urgent problems.

The ironies and mysteries in Mr. Spitzer’s precipitous fall are overwhelming. It is hard to comprehend why such a driven and accomplished prosecutor — who promised to clean up Albany’s political sludge — would indulge in such reckless and self-destructive behavior.

Mr. Spitzer’s downfall will inevitably strengthen the hand of the Republicans he was trying to oust — mainly, Senator Joseph Bruno, the leader of a dwindling majority in the Senate and a fierce opponent of reform.

And the Wall Street Journal reminded everyone that the Feds aren’t going to turn a blind eye to Spitzer’s disregard for the law.

The spectacle of seeing New York’s Governor as “Client 9″ in the government complaint against the prostitution ring has occasioned more than a little glee, especially among those whose reputations he destroyed or attempted to destroy. But come Monday, Client 9 will be a private citizen again. As such, the fairest course of action is to treat him the same way that Mr. Garcia intends to treat Clients 1 through 8, and on down the line of the rest of the still-anonymous patrons of the Emperors Club VIP.

Mr. Spitzer was wrong on Monday, and wrong again in his resignation statement, to describe what he did as a “private” matter. He was given a position of public trust, and he betrayed that trust, putting himself and the state he served at risk. But he has paid a public price for his misdeeds. He also reminded the public, in a salutary way, what it means to take responsibility for his actions by resigning, rather than “taking responsibility” verbally as a way of avoiding the same in actual fact.

Finally, there’s already rumblings online over whether Spitzer was meeting prostitutes while he was the attorney general. That could lead to more legal troubles for the one-time top cop - since he was prosecuting prostitution rings.