If there was any doubt that Attorney General Paul Morrison thinks former Attorney General Phill Kline is a terrible prosecutor, there shouldn’t be anymore. In announcing today Morrison’s decision not to refile 15 of the 30 misdemeanor charges that Kline tried to file against Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller, Morrison’s spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett blasted Kline for being reckless and incompetent.
She said Kline’s treatment of records was "irresponsible and careless," that the 15 charges were "completely without merit," and that four miscopied forms were submitted as evidence. "It is hard to imagine a competent attorney making that same mistake four times," she said.
Even more serious, Anstaett charged Kline with withholding evidence that showed Tiller wasn’t guilty of these charges. "It is unethical to omit exculpatory evidence from an affidavit being considered by a judge," she said.
Kline said that this depiction is false and that it sounded like Morrison worked for Tiller’s defense firm. But it fits the view most voters held in the past election — that Kline had more ideological zeal than prosecutorial know-how and sound legal judgment.
By waiting until the end of this week to announce his decision on the other 15 charges, Morrison raised speculation that he may, in fact, refile some of those charges. Whatever he decides, the decision needs to be based on the law and not on pro-life or pro-choice pressure.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It’s long been suggested that the endgame in the Iraq war will start when a senior Republican senator turns on the White House. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., made an important speech Monday night that fit the bill. The highest ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, in part: "American strategy must adjust to the reality that sectarian factionalism will not abate anytime soon and probably cannot be controlled from the top." Trying to coax his president and his colleagues to change the nature of the debate away from surge vs. withdrawal, Lugar concluded: "We need to move Iraq policy beyond the politics of the moment and re-establish a broad consensus on the role of the United States in the Middle East." Will anybody listen?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Tony Blair is outof 10 Downing Street but hardly out of mind and headlines, given his tough new job as Mideast envoy. After a tumultuous decade in power, it will take some time to adjust to the idea of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, especially given his charisma deficit. Blair’s legacy has been tarnished by his support for the Iraq war, which was unfaltering to the end. He said he was "truly sorry about the dangers" troops are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I know some may think that they face these dangers in vain; I don’t and I never will. I believe they are fighting for the security of this country and the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life." Not only is President Bush going to miss Blair having his back in the wars, he’s also going to miss Blair’s articulate defense of Bush’s war-making.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
“The progressive backlash in my old home state is complete. The right wing not only has lost control of Kansas, they’ve been virtually thrown out of the state and soundly defeated in other parts of the country as well. As we enter what promises to be the longest campaign season in American history, let’s hope the candidates are paying attention to what really happened in Kansas.” — Martha Burk, money editor for Ms. magazine, bane of all-male Augusta National golf club, and former president of Wichita NOW, in a Ms. feature advising political strategists to take note of last year’s political shift in Kansas.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The Sedgwick County Commission likely will decide today to continue to charge residents solid waste fees via their property tax bills (something characterized as a transition trash tax when it debuted in 2000, by the way). At least the fees are not scheduled to rise next year, starting at $3.65 per residency. That’s somewhat surprising given that the fee funds the county’s hazardous waste facility, which has seen huge growth in the amount of waste collected.
Some also will recall that the fee was sold in part as a way to promote recycling. And how’s that going? Since 2000, the county reports, daily municipal solid waste disposal has decreased only from 6.97 pounds per person to 5.32 pounds per person last year. Not exactly a smashing success.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Here’s how a harsh leading light of the right turned on President Bush this week: “We’re all just waiting for this nincompoop to be gone. I think we’re all finally on the same page on that.” Even so, speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Ann Coulter also did have appreciative words for Bush’s handling of the war.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Some top Wichita business leaders are coming out against a casino in Sedgwick County. In the past week, Cessna Aircraft chairman emeritus Russ Meyer, Intrust Bank president Charlie Chandler IV and developer Jack DeBoer have told The Eagle editorial board that they strongly oppose a casino. All three think that a casino would be bad for the local economy, and they are concerned about social costs. Chandler likened a casino to a cancer that the state is trying to force on our community.
So why do opinion polls show that the public overwhelmingly wants a local casino? DeBoer thinks residents have been apathetic and “don’t understand what this is about.”
Would it be better if the casino was next door in Sumner County? All three said yes, though they had doubts a casino would ever be built there.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
