Buttargate
Though it's a horrible headline cliche, "Buttargate" does sum up what's going on at the Legislature. (And it rolls smoothly off the tongue.)
Long before Sen. Chris Buttars was busily offending blacks, gays and anyone with post-Attila the Hun politics, he was bringing his trademark brand of arrogance to the judicial system.
The Tribune's Robert Gehrke reports that Senate leaders have known since last summer that Buttars wrote a letter on Senate letterhead castigating a state judge who had the temerity to rule against a pal. But Senate President Valentine, lest he breach decorum, let Buttars continue to run the committee that screens judges.
It wasn't until after the Tribune reported on the letter and the Bar Association rose up in rage that Valentine canned Buttars.
Buttars' pal, land developer Wendell Gibby, told the DNews that Valentine approved the letter. "It would seem odd to me that Valentine would sack him for something he approved."
Valentine, who has ambitions of someday being governor, is in hiding. He issued a statement late yesterday that Buttars' letter was an exercise of the senator's First Amendment rights. Earlier, he claimed he had no idea of the letter's contents.
A couple weeks ago, I was lamenting that it was an exceptionally boring Lege session. Then Buttars opened his mouth —bless his lilywhite heart.
1 Comments:
I think the more appropriate description for his heart is "white and delightsome".
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