05 September 2008

Granholm Justifies Her Involvement, Treads Too Lightly

I hate it when politicians, to appease a small but articulate minority of voters, justify actions that are completely appropriate.

Jennifer Granholm has never enjoyed huge popularity in Michigan, but here she seems overly guarded in her tone on (former) Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The guy is a jerk, and he's cost the city and state a whole lot of money. Plus, he's guilty. I really want to hear her say "Enough is enough. Mayor Kilpatrick, despite his popularity and his efforts to reenergize Detroit, broke the law. As governor I'm pleased to see this case come to a resolution that will allow the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan to move forward."

Instead, we get this: "I just had to follow what the law says. . . The city council did their homework. . . I think that it’s really important that the city of Detroit understand I was asked to come in by your city leaders. . . The mayor ultimately did the right thing: he stepped down."