Gov. David A. Paterson and his wife, Michelle confessed to having extramarital affairs in the past.

Paterson is changing the rules of the game, making his life an open book, confessing before the press really turned the klieg lights on him. Will other politicians adopt this tactic for dealing with potential media inquisition?

It could start a new trend, of politicians treating press conferences like an episode of the Jerry Springer show. They'll tell us more than we wanted to know - about their affairs, their strange obsessions, neuroses; the crazy preachers who have influenced their lives, the tests they cheated on in 7th grade. We'll see their rashes and their moles. We'll hear about their STDs and constipation. The wall behind them will be plastered with pictures of them drunk at parties. The confessions won't stop until the press gets sick and tired and says "enough already".

In the age of MySpace, it makes sense.