Dignity?

When Governor Spitzer was battling for his budget, he issued a press release headlined, "AARP Says Spitzer Budget Aids Older New Yorkers." It quoted the governor as saying, "As I travel across the state, older New Yorkers repeatedly tell me about their deep desire to receive the quality care they need to allow them to live with dignity in their homes, close to their families and friends." It's a fine context in which to put the discovery by the New York Post that Mr. Spitzer characterized to a Long Island senator the 78-year-old Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, as "an old, senile piece of" excrement. If Mr. Spitzer wants a dispute with Mr. Bruno it's fine with us, but targeting Mr. Bruno for alleged age or age-related mental health issues is — how to put it — undignified.