In a story almost more astounding for the stupidity involved than the lack of ethics, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel.

A federal investigation into a prostitution ring revealed a wiretap of a man identified as “Client 9″ on a call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room.

The person briefed on the case identified Eliot Spitzer as Client 9.

Spitzer today made a brief public appearance, during which he apologized for his involvement in the prostitution ring, describing it as a “private matter.”

“I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family and violates my or any sense of right or wrong,” said Eliot Spitzer, who appeared with his wife Silda at his Manhattan office. “I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better.”

“I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.”

Before speaking, Spitzer stood with his arm around his wife; the two nodded and then strode forward together to face more than 100 reporters.

Both Eliot and Silda Spitzer had glassy, tear-filled eyes, but they did not cry. The New York Governor did not address his political future.

Eliot Spitzer won office in 2006 as a rising star in the Democratic party. He won 69 percent of the vote in the general election as no serious Republican dared stand up against the tough-as-nails New York’s attorney general.

Yet Spitzer’s political fortune was already jeopardized after a rough first year in office. His decision to back (and then recant) a plan that would have granted drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants was a big setback.

A recent Siena College poll showed just 41 percent of New Yorkers had a favorable view of Spitzer while 46 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Those numbers are sure to drop much further, but the full fallout from this political scandal is harder to grasp at the moment.

The governor learned he had been implicated in the prostitution inquiry when a federal official contacted his staff last Friday.

Spitzer informed his top aides Sunday night and this morning of his involvement in the scandal, canceled his public events today and scheduled the announcement for this afternoon after inquiries from The New York Times.

The governor’s aides appeared shaken before he spoke, and one of them began to weep as they waited for him to make his statement in Manhattan.

The man described as Client 9 in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, Emperors Club VIP, on the night of February 13. Spitzer traveled to Washington that evening.

The affidavit says that Client 9 met with the woman in hotel room 871 but does not identify the hotel. Mr. Spitzer stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington February 13. Room 871 there was registered under another name.

Federal prosecutors rarely charge clients in prostitution cases, which are generally seen as state crimes. But the Mann Act, passed by Congress to address prostitution, human trafficking and (according to some) immorality, makes it a crime to transport someone between states for purposes of prostitution. So stay tuned.