The righteous shall inherit the Lieutenant Governorship

Spitzer has resigned. What is the best part of this story? The last line: "Bruno will assume the duties of lieutenant governor, according to the New York Constitution."

"Bruno" is New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican whom Spitzer has allegedly been attempting unsuccessfully to smear for some months. Not only is Bruno still standing, he has standing to be magnanimous, saying,

There is no pleasure in what is going on in this state in anybody's life, and there shouldn't be because this is serious. My heart goes out to [Spitzer's] wife and family at this time. He must deal with his own problems in his own way, but it is now time for us and all New Yorkers to move forward.

To top it all off, Bruno is now a heartbeat away from the governorship, and presumably well-poised to succeed Governor Paterson in a future election. So Spitzer has unintentionally advanced the career of his greatest political rival, even as he destroyed his own.

This story has layers upon layers of shadenfreude.