Analysis: Spitzer has done a lot of reversing course lately
By Joseph Spector
Albany Bureau

ALBANY — Not only did Gov. Eliot Spitzer change course this week on issuing drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants, he also switched gears on several other statewide issues.

On Wednesday, the same day Spitzer announced he was scrapping the drivers' license plan, his administration said it would not start charging sales tax on Internet purchases from New York — after being criticized days earlier for attempting to make the move before the holiday shopping season.

Also this week, Spitzer's administration said it would fight a lawsuit that may have led to the release of about 1,000 violent felons. Initially, Spitzer's aides indicated they were willing to settle the suit, which would have led to the felons' release — a move that drew jeers from victims' families and lawmakers.

An editorial in the New York Daily News labeled all the changes as “Spitzer's Big Do-Over,â€