"Low Statesmanship"

As another session of the General Assembly gets underway, the Hartford Courant today asked something I asked last week about Speaker and Governor-Wanna-Be Jim Amann on their editorial page.

"Mr. Amann has not demonstrated that he's governor material. Part charming schmoozer and part street fighter, the speaker is best known for insulting Gov. M. Jodi Rell (last year he crossed the line by calling her 'a very dishonorable human being' in a fight over a bonding package), for trying to shake down lobbyists to make donations to his favorite charity, and for telling bloggers that he would "crush any idiot" who would run against him for his legislative seat. Such low statesmanship Connecticut doesn't need."

That sums it up rather well, in calling the pugnacious and deluded speaker out on the absurdity of his demeanor as well as his laughable aspirations.

Amann is not much of a statesman, low or otherwise. No one will ever publish a volume of Amann's public words bound in leather to adorn mahogany bookshelves in the company of those of Jefferson, Hamilton or Adams. If his utterances were ever to be bound and published, they would be tucked not-so-neatly in a basket next to a rarely cleaned toilet, between some Asian porn magazines and a dog-eared, mysteriously stained paperback volume of dick jokes.

Amann is simultaneously running for a third term as speaker, a first term as governor. He praises Governor Rell's plan to create two departments out the DOT expanding government and bureaucracy, but when asked about imposing a tough three strikes law, He remarked "There's more people going to jail, and Connecticut is a lot safer place than it was in 1994. So what's all the hubub about three strikes?"

He should ask Dr. William Petit that question.

Mr. Speaker, you are inadequate at every single one of your endeavors.