The non-apologetic "distraction", Bridgegate, and their political polar vortex

[Joel S. Berson]

(Those who wish to apportion this olio into separate message threads
are given permission to do so.)

David Wildstein, the appointee of Republican Governor Christie at the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (and high school "chum" of
the governor) who ordered closure of entrance lanes to the George
Washington Bridge from Fort Lee in retaliation against its mayor, a
Democrat who refused to endorse Christie in his recent re-election
campaign, is reported to have said that his reason for resigning on
December 7 was that the lane-closing incident had become "a
distraction".  In other words, it wasn't unethical, or possibly
criminal, to use government resources for political purposes, but
rather his time and energies were too much occupied in dealing with
criticism, that being an unjust imposition on the Port Authority.

Gail Collins writes "We are, of course, going to refer to this as Bridgegate."

And "Also, we will try to figure out some way to call it a political
polar vortex."  Demonstrating that my proposal yesterday of "polar
vortex" for WOTY 2014 has legs.

Source of fact, opinion, and harsh language:  The New York Times,
Jan. 9; and moi.

Joel

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