Role models

It wasn't long ago that we were hoping Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick could live up to the standard set by Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor of New York who resigned almost immediately after it was disclosed that he'd been playing black-socked footsie with a hooker.

Rather than put the Empire State through the agony of watching a mortally wounded chief executive desperately attempt to cling to office, allowing government to be paralyzed as he attempted to fend off the inevitable, Spitzer did the right thing for his constituents and himself by cutting everyone's losses and ending it all with merciful speed.

The Kwamster, however, failed to follow Spitzer's lead.

Now we're left hoping that a corrupt strongman from a Third World country has provided an example our embattled mayor will follow.

We're talking, of course, about Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf, a former military officer who originally took power by leading a coup, chose to resign Monday rather than force his nation to endure the diminishing and divisive spectacle of impeachment proceedings.

According to a Reuters report, Musharraf explained the rationale behind his decision this way:

"Whether I win or lose, the nation will lose. The honor and dignity of the country will be affected and, in my view, the honor of the office of president will also be affected."

As far as we know, Musharraf wasn't wearing a tether monitoring his movements when he made that announcement.

Despite their many other differences — for instance, Kilpatrick hasn't yet attempted to fire any of the judges involved in his many court proceedings, and he doesn't have any nuclear weapons at his disposal (although if that long-rumored dust-up at the Manoogian Mansion party that never happened does turn out to be true, first wife Carlita Kilpatrick has the potential to go all ballistic on your ass if provoked) — there seems to be at least one common trait shared by Detroit's mayor and Musharraf:

"Critics say he suffered from a 'savior complex' and believed he was indispensable."

However, only one of the two has come to see the fallacy inherent in that line of thought. Sadly for us, it's not the Kwamster.

On Monday, a Wayne County judge ruled that the Detroit City Council lacked the authority to hold the equivalent of impeachment proceedings for Kilpatrick. The council's lawyer immediately announced he would appeal the decision. But, regardless of the outcome of that court action, the mayor still faces two different sets of felony charges. In addition, Gov. Jennifer Granholm will be holding what is essentially a hearing in September to decide if she will remove Kilpatrick from office.