10:20 a.m. CNN--NY Lieut. Gov. David Paterson being featured. Not for the last time.

10:25 a.m. more hashing over juicier details of the filing in re Emperors Club VIP--higher prices for some girls, etc., considerately illustrated with a file photo of Eliot Spitzer, just in case the wider public does not know by now who "Client Number-9" is said to be.

One question that actually might be significant: Did Spitzer, who famously prosecuted prostitution rings himself, learn about this company called 'Emperors Club VIP' in the process of his work?--either during his prosecuting days, or later? No question he picked up some useful tactics on the job: The way Spitzer named his shell companies--QAT Consultants, QAT International, ProTech--has all the ring of white-collar shell arrangements everwhere. Just out of curiosity, I tried looking up all three names in the corporate name  databases of Maryland, Virginia, and Florida--three places one can usually go, in pursuit of malefactors of great wealth. No dice--not because the names were not in the databases--mostly, they were. But the names are so cleverly generic that they disappear in the multitudes of irrelevant or unconnected filings.

A possible question here, in other words, is whether there was not only a prostitution ring, but a high-paying johns ring. Typically, this one does not come up on television.

10:30 a.m. Back to MSNBC, briefly. The channel is actually airing mention and pics of Sen. David Vitter--whose complacency is really outrageous--and of Mark Foley. One small step in the direction of balance, since these guys are both GOP. But then most of the most recent 19 or so sex scandals have been Republican. As my son said, it was probably time for the Dems to break that streak.

11:00 a.m. Back to CNN, and the streets of NYC--reporter on the ground holds up copies of all three New York tabloids, all calling on Spitzer to resign. Then we get word on the ground in Mississippi, holding its primary today. Then we get another plug from CNN for some kind of interactive game about counting delegates.

Some day I am going to collect the family names of all top people at CNN and MSNBC, and put them together under a heading having something to do with lack of pride. Deaf to the promptings of shame.

11:15 or so--Speaking of that, they've brought Law prof Alan Dershowitz back again, claiming as he did last night that the Spitzer matter is much ado about nothing. I wd think any attorney wd hang back and wait to see whether there was abuse of official position involved, before pronouncing. But Dershowitz has been out there lately seemingly justifying the use of torture.

A House Judiciary Committee subcommittee is holding a hearing today, about those very large monitorship deals sometimes obtained by former DOJ personnel. Another revolving-door perk, in effect, although it was not set up to be that: Former AG John Ashcroft is among those who have received lucrative contracts overseeing the reorganization or otherwise shaping-up of corporations in trouble with Justice.

11:35 a.m.: Ashcroft up, being questioned by the Administrative and Commercial Law Subcommittee. "I don't believe that Mr. Christie is a law violator." Christie is the New Jersey US Attorney who facilitated Ashcroft's contract. Some anger at the witness table, from Ashcroft.

Repubs on the committee seem to be trying to focus on "prosecutorial misconduct." Wonder whom they cd have in mind.