Spin Control: A Scandal Survival Guide

Experts wonder why smart guys do really stupid things

(NEWSER) - Eliot Spitzer's reported involvement with a pricey call-girl ring has left, well, everyone scratching their heads, the AP reports. What makes a public figure show such jaw-dropping disregard for the consequences of private actions? One analyst calls it "the psychology of the exception. People in power sometimes feel they can do things that us, mere mortals, are forbidden to do. There's a sense, as with adolescents, that 'I won't get caught.'" More»

Friends call him a 'Boy Scout,' but governor kept secrets well hidden

(NEWSER) - Eliot Spitzer's biographer was as shocked as anyone to discover his involvement with a prostitution ring yesterday. The New York governor was regarded as a devoted and faithful husband, and his college girlfriends still spoke fondly of him. The whole debacle, writes Brooke Masters in the Financial Times, "serves as a shocking reminder that even the most public figures can have unexpected facets." More»

Ananysis of DC Madam's phone records generates a mini-travel guide

(NEWSER) - Direct from the phone records of the so-called DC Madam, Deborah Palfrey, here are the most-dialed local lodgings—or what the Consumerist calls the "Top 10 Most 'Ho-Friendly' DC Hotels."

1. Marriott: 489 (18 numbers)
2. Hyatt: 168 (6 numbers)
3. Hilton: 151 (5 numbers)
4. Holiday Inn: 132 (5 numbers)
5. Ritz-Carlton: 118 (4 numbers)

Someone else with the last name Weiner tries to cheer Anthony up

(NEWSER) - It ain’t easy having the last name Weiner. That’s a point Anthony Weiner has made repeatedly in recent days, saying his name had obviously inspired the prankster who sent that infamous twitter photo . “I don’t know whether that photo has anything to do with your genitals—and actually, you don’t really seem to know either ,” writes Juli Weiner in an open letter to the congressman in Vanity Fair . But “your honesty and openness has not gone ignored by other Weiners.” More»

That's about all the info you'll get unless you buy a copy

(NEWSER) - With how much she’s been in the news lately, is it any surprise that the already-disgraced Duchess of York is now in the middle of her very own sex scandal? In its “bombshell report,” creatively titled “Fergie slept with rich men for ca$h,” the Globe claims Sarah Ferguson got $450,000 for sleeping with two oil tycoons. Of course, if you want the details (we'd like to know why she's raking it in but still broke ), you’re going to have to buy a copy of the tab. More»