One Classy Thing about Marc Dann

Marc Dann stood alone, without his wife at his side, when he 'fessed up yesterday to having an affair with a subordinate. According to Laura A. Bischoff, William Hershey and Jessica Wehrman at the Dayton Daily News:

Unlike Silda Spitzer who stood by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer at his tearful news conference, Dann's wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, was at her job as a journalism instructor at Youngstown State University, Dann said. Lenhoff could not be reached for comment.

"I've hurt her. I'm disappointed in myself, but I love her very much and I'm very hopeful she'll forgive me," Dann said.

Marc Dann has often been compared to Eliot Spitzer for his anti-corporate crusades and his allegedly explosive temper. But in this one detail, Dann's story diverges from Spitzer's. We don't know whether or not his Ms. Lenhoff was willing to go before the cameras while her husband confessed. We don't know if her absence indicates a flash of decency on Dann's part or just a strong backbone on hers. And it's more than okay that we don't know any of this. Whatever the reason for Dann's solo walk of shame, it's a relief not to see the suffering spouse in the spotlight. Let her - and them - work through the aftermath of his affair on their own, privately, without the distorting glare of public scrutiny.