Posted on 12/30/2007 6:22:53 PM PST by Huntress
Silence can sometimes be golden.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius would do well to remember that the next time she is tempted to defend Paul Morrison.
Sebelius recently commended Morrison for his professional accomplishments while attorney general. At the same time, she couldn't resist taking a swipe at Morrison's predecessor, Phill Kline.
Sebelius said recently that Morrison proved himself a capable attorney general but let personal conduct undermine his professional accomplishments.
We're not buying the spin.
And as far as Kline is concerned — we sometimes wonder how far the Democratic Party will go in attempting to discredit the Republican former attorney general.
Kline, of course, was a chief target of Sebelius' Democrats in the November 2006 elections. Morrison won big-time, clobbering Kline with 58 percent of the vote.
Then came the news that Morrison's personal conduct — we think it crept well over the line of professionalism as well — had put the state of Kansas, as well as Johnson County, in harm's way.
Morrison, the former Johnson County district attorney, turned out to be the subject of an EEOC claim that was lurid enough to qualify as a script for a soap opera.
We will spare our readers more review of the sordid details of the allegation.
But revelation of the claim sent Morrison tumbling to resignation just five days after the story broke in this newspaper.
The post-resignation politicking, from both Republicans and Democrats, has been ugly.
The GOP, of course, is looking to capitalize on Morrison's downfall. Other Democrats, no doubt, are in their sights.
Republicans very much would like to see Sebelius damaged via shrapnel from the Morrison bombshell.
For the most part, it would appear that Sebelius can escape relatively unscathed — if she puts a muzzle on her postgame comments.
Yes, Sebelius and the Democrats will forever be questioned about their knowledge — or lack thereof — of Morrison's extramarital relationship with an administrator in the Johnson County prosecutor's office. The affair was going on when Morrison ran for attorney general, and it went on after the election.
Times and locations of encounters cited in the complaint are too frequent to recap in this editorial.
And the Democratic power brokers didn't know?
At best, they appeared to be clueless. At worst, it appears they chose to turn their heads.
No matter, due diligence in determining personal integrity obviously wasn't high on the radar screen when it came to anointing the "beat Kline'' candidate.
Sebelius is now focusing on selecting Morrison's successor.
She says integrity will be a critical component, and we'll take her word for it.
She's been burned once.
Still, her post-resignation comments defending Morrison's professional efforts might come back to haunt her.
Morrison's personal conduct crossed professional lines.
Or does the governor condone the D.A. carrying on with a mistress who was a subordinate?
This was a professional gaffe as well as a personal one.
The complaint, remember, alleges that Morrison tried to influence pending litigation, implying witness tampering. If even a shred of that claim turns out to be true, the governor would be well advised to take cover.
Sebelius would be wise to be done with Paul Morrison and focus on the future.
We don't want any more Paul Morrisons, and we don't want to hear the governor's lame defense of Morrison.
Silence is your best bet, governor.
Paul Morrison/Phill Kline ping!
Thanks for the ping. Like I said on the other thread, I’m liking the Capital-Journal more & more, LOL.
Morrison’s victory was bought and paid for by Tiller the Killer, which doesn’t say too much for his morals either, since Tiller made these campaign contributions in order to escape impending indictment by the AG for numerous flagrant felonies at his abortion mill.
The Johnson Countian Morrison cheerleaders are still loathing Kline.
In fact, it was their loathing of Kline that catapulted Morrison to the dim party, as Morrison would never have beaten Kline in a primary or he would have challenged him as a RINO - so the dims want him, they've got him and all that goes with him.
The RINOs in Jo. County would never to hesitate to vote for a dim rather than any conservative and that's the truth.
Yeah, we’ll let it go just as fast as they would have let it go had it been Phil Kline.
I lived and practiced law in JoCo for nine years but I never got very involved in local politics. You two seem to have some inside information, so I will ask you the question I've been mulling ever since this scandal broke:
What is the source of Morrison's hatred of Kline? It has to be more than differences in political views or even Morrison's ambition. It's clearly personal, but I don't know why. What do you think?
Why not? Before Morrison stepped in it, Phill was one of the best weapons the Democrats had.
And then Morrison goes and files charges against Tiller. Talk about wasting your money! It ain't like the good old days when you bought a politician and they stayed bought. </sarcasm>
It's not that so much as Phill's act had worn thin some time ago. Johnson County voted for him in 2002. In 2006 two thirds of the county voted for Morrison. People just saw through him is all.
Rush has always said that lack of morals is a resume-enhancer for the dims.
I'm think a lot of it goes back to the fundimental split in the Kansas GOP. I've met both men and while Phill and Morrison were on speaking terms there wasn't a lot of respect for the other, at least on Morrison's side. But I don't think it was personal until the election. I know Morrison thought that Phill's dredging up that old harrassment charge was uncalled for, and now we know why he was so upset about it. And then when Phill got appointed to Morrison's old job and cleaned house, firing a lot of people that Morrison had recruited, then I think the hatred really began. I don't think Morrison ran against Phill because of some sort of grudge. Morrison switched parties and ran against Phill because he is, or rather was, an ambitious man. He wouldn't have been satisfied with AG and may well have planned on running for Congress in the 3rd District when Moore retires, or governor after Parkinson.
And let's be clear on Morrison's replacement. If Chris Biggs clears the background investigation that's going on right now then he'll be appointed AG. And the main reason won't be because he's the most qualified, though he certainly is an experienced prosecutor. It'll be because the Dems want to spit in Phill's eye and appoint the man he defeated to the job he formerly had. Which is the same reason why Phill wound up in Morrison's old job. It's all gotten rather petty.
With all due respect, Rush is hardly the poster child for high moral standing.
But Rush never claims to be. dims always think ‘they’ know best for us little people.
Goodness, I hadn't really thought that through. Maybe that's why the scandal was made public and they forced him to resign. He was under considerable pressure from citizens to do something about the charges against Tiller, and he caved in to the Culture of Life with a compromise indictment. Not the worst charges, but still charges.
That means he's got to go, so Sebelius can replace him with a more reliable Minister of Death.
On the other hand, filing charges and not having them thrown out of court is more than Phill was able to achieve. If memory serves conviction on all counts could result in about 20 years in jail and $30,000 in fines. What difference does it make what he's convicted of if the goal is to put an end to Tiller and his business?
The Dems hate Kline because he expects the abortion clinics to obey the law. The Dems (and RINOS) think the abortionists should be untouchable.
Actually, Kline filed the charges. They were thrown out of court on a technicality. Because of political pressure, Morrison refiled a few of the smaller charges and ended up levying a small fine against his buddy. Tiller belongs in jail, but that will never happen as long as there is a Democrat (or RINO) Attorney General.
I am surprised that Morrison resigned. It usually takes a prison sentence to get a Democrat to forfeit his/her hold on power.
A technicality a first year law student could have avoided. Phill filed charges in a county court without first getting the OK of the county prosecutor. It's a simple jurisdictional matter that any law student would know. Why didn't Phill?
Because of political pressure, Morrison refiled a few of the smaller charges and ended up levying a small fine against his buddy
What planet are you on? Morrison filed different charges because none of Phill's would have stood up in court. And Tiller hasn't gone to trial on those charges yet so he hasn't been fined on anything. If convicted he could well go to jail. What are you going to do if that happens?
Tiller belongs in jail, but that will never happen as long as there is a Democrat (or RINO) Attorney General.
He may wind up in jail yet, time will tell. But first we have to go through all that minutia of a trial and conviction and sentencing and all. Annoying for you, I know.
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