The
Lexington Herald-Leader today called for Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher's resignation in response to his pardoning of nine members of his administration who had been indicted for basing hiring decisions on political considerations. Fletcher then pleaded the fifth in a grand jury hearing, saying the investigation was politically motivated. Here's an excerpt from the Herald-Leader:
A politician becomes an officeholder by winning an election, but only becomes a leader through moral authority -- the vision and integrity to persuade people to follow.
In a partisan, made-for-TV address before a hand-picked crowd Monday night, Gov. Ernie Fletcher talked away his ability to lead by force of character. While he's not likely to do so, Fletcher should resign rather than leave the state with two more years of a damaged chief executive.
In a speech that reeked of disregard for Kentucky voters and a profound contempt for the rule of law, Fletcher compounded his missteps in handling the scandal over his administrations' attempts to dismantle, or at least damage, the merit hiring system.
Ouch! What's worse, Fletcher had a press conference where he compared the misdemeanors his staff was presumably guilty of - why else pardon them - to fishing without a license. Never mind the fact that people were fired or forced into retirement because they were not Republican. Probably not too many people loosing their job from fishing without a license.
For more on the unraveling scandal, take a look at
www.Bluegrassreport.org.
You are not logged in.
In order to post a comment, you must be logged in. If you have a member account, please log in to comment.
If not, you can make an account just by filling out the form below. It's quick and free.
