In writing about the crisis caused by Governor Spitzer’s dalliance with a high-class prostitute, we find ourselves overtaken by events.

First, Mr. Spitzer is a much more appealing figure in humiliation and defeat than he was when he was at the peak of his power.

We were highly critical of the governor’s first year for many reasons described at length in previous pieces. Throughout the year, however, we hoped for improvement and described Governor Spitzer as the best hope for progress in New York State. We observed how he had improved this year, and how much better his relations with other public officials appeared to be, except for State Senator Bruno.

By the state’s creaky Constitution, however, if the governor resigns and the lieutenant governor succeeds him, the next in line will be the temporary president of the senate, none other than Mr. Bruno. The law does not require the holding of an election to fill the vacant position of lieutenant governor, and the last time this happened, during Governor Cuomo’s first term, the position was left unoccupied for almost two years.

In the Democratic primary, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run independently. The two winners are joined in a ticket, and voters can only choose between tickets. For purposes of ticket balancing, lieutenant governor became a job that was generally given to a woman or a ethnic minority. In 1970, Justice Arthur Goldberg’s running mate was Basil Paterson, David Paterson’s father. They lost to Nelson Rockefeller.

Unfortunately, whoever is chosen by the legislature to fill a vacancy in the office of comptroller or attorney general serves for the entire balance of a four-year term.

The tragedy of the Spitzer administration is that he was elected just 16 months ago with such hope for reform. He had met with good government organizations in Albany and showed far more concern for their issues than the masters of the legislature had ever displayed.

His record as attorney general was considered quite good, although admittedly not too closely watched, as long as the left and the press felt that he was going after bad guys. His credentials were first-rate, although not subject to the most scrupulous examination.

Before his campaign for attorney general, he was active in moderate organizations, although he turned left when he saw that was the way to climb the political tree, or the greasy pole, in New York State. His basic problem was that he could not participate in a system in which power was shared — with the Senate and the Assembly, with special interest groups (now euphemistically referred to as stakeholders), with county executives, mayors (one in particular), and with others with whom he had to deal. His attitude ranged from intimidating and denouncing people to surrendering to them when he couldn’t get his way. It comes down to a missing link between great intelligence and the ability to persuade others to act with him for the common good. In the end, it came down to a personal weakness rather than the lack of political skills that led to his undoing as a public person. His wounds are self-inflicted.

This case is not comparable to Governor McGreevey’s misconduct in putting his boyfriend on the state payroll as director of homeland security. There are no state decisions or appointments involved here, nor any significant misuse of resources (although we don’t know all the details). Nor do I wish to compare cases with those of other high officials involved in similar or comparable relationships.

The news is very sad. It is astounding to learn again how the human brain, in many cases, is unable to control the desires of the human body. But that is too simplistic. It’s really that one part of the brain cannot or will not control the impulses of another part. That is the way most of us are made. What varies between us is the nature of the impulses that the reasoning part of the brain is unable to manage.

No one is perfect. But all of us have an obligation to do our best. That includes having some understanding of those who failed.

Mr. Stern, president of New York Civic, was New York City’s parks commissioner under Mayors Koch and Giuliani.