SAT impostor flunks ethics

Sam Eshaghoff, the Great Neck whiz kid who accepted money to take the SATs for as many as 15 other students, seems to regret doing what he did -- but he doesn't seem to think it was all that bad, at least judging from an interview on "60 Minutes" aired Sunday.

He insisted on the show that his actions hadn't hurt honest test-takers, yet also took credit for saving the lives of his "clients" by enabling them to get into better colleges, presumably in place of the honest students he somehow doesn't believe he harmed.

While Eshaghoff said he wished he'd never taken the tests for all those others, he expressed little shame about -- or understanding of -- how wrong his actions were.

But those actions made a mockery of concepts like merit and effort, and instead effectively sold college admissions to the highest bidder. The colleges didn't even get the cash; that went to Eshaghoff in exchange for his test-taking skills.

Thus it comes as something of a relief to learn that the Nassau County district attorney's office is reconsidering the community service assignment Eshaghoff was facing as part of a plea deal for his actions.

The plan was to put him to work tutoring underprivileged students. Eshaghoff is a bright fellow, but the flawed ethics he displayed on "60 Minutes" suggest that it would be better to keep him away from impressionable young people. Something more janitorial may be just the thing to clean up his act.