The Other Scandal

The arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for allegedly raping a maid at a New York hotel is horrifying. Rape is always horrifying. What is more, the scandal has called attention anew to an earlier sexual scandal in which Strauss-Kahn had a tryst and was publicly forgiven by his wife. That scandal was tawdry to be sure, but there was no suggestion of forcible rape.
But, there is another scandal that caught my eye. Strauss-Kahn and his reconciled wife were recently seen getting out of a $150,000 Porsche in Paris. In addition, they have two swanky apartments in Paris, a home in Washington and a vacation place in Marrakesh. The irony is that Strauss-Kahn was widely expected to be a leading candidate for the presidency, nominated by the Socialist Party of France. Nothing like a $150,000 car to warm the hearts of a party dedicated to the needs of the working classes. Yeesh.