Morrison's impossible situation & the latest on the Kansas AG

[Updated 3:30 p.m. with four new links]

[Updated at noon with Johnson County investigation]

By Diane Silver

Honestly, this isn't turning into an All-Paul Morrison-All-The-Time Blog, but I do want to keep up with events. Here's the latest on the situation and a little perspective from me.

Hints of how the AG's personal battle could impact a Kansas county can be found at the News Cow web site. The vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party reports on her telephone conversation with Morrison. Morrison's fate is dear to Cowley County because he is prosecuting Justin Thurber, who has been charged with murdering Jodi Sanderholm.

The Kansas City Star puts Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on the spot by calling on her to appoint a special prosecutor.

The Topeka Capital Journal reports that Morrison has formally asked the state agency that polices attorneys to investigate the allegations.

Wichita Eagle Editorial Board Member Brent Castillo writes that despite his Christian belief in redemption, he doesn't think Morrison is worth, well, redeeming. Note that Castillo does extend his compassion to Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, David Vitter, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

Despite disagreeing with Castillo on a few issues, I have to admit that he does point to what may be the most impossible aspect of Morrison's situation. Castillo writes:

(T)he more serious accusations of meddling in the affairs of (current Johnson County District Attorney Phill) Kline have yet to be debunked. If Morrison can't convince Kansans that they're false, he should leave immediately.

Here's the problem: Morrison's alleged meddling apparently only occurred in private, confidential conversations with lover Linda Carter. So far, I know of no allegations that Morrison took any action against Kline.

Unless a smoking-gun document, videotape or audiotape lurks somewhere, the entire situation boils down to she said-he said. If that's true, then how can Morrison clear his name? How can he possibly prove that he never once in private said the wrong thing to Carter? Even if Morrison can legally prove his innocence, how can he win in the the court of public opinion? How do you prove what wasn't said in private?

Finally, I'm sending out a well-deserved jeer to the Lawrence Journal-World. The newspaper dedicated an entire story to Republican attacks on Democrat Morrison without including one comment from Morrison or his staff (except for his blanket denial), or from any Democrat, or even from a neutral legal expert or political scientist. The story read more than a little like a GOP news release.

[update]

Oh my... this is getting curiouser and curiouser. The Kansas City Star is reporting:

Johnson County commissioners today authorized District Attorney Phill Kline to spend an initial $25,000 to investigate alleged wrongdoing that Kline said involved blackmail and telephone harassment.

Kline said he had evidence of criminal wrongdoing, but refused to confirm who the target of the investigation was. However, the inquiry is believed to involve allegations surrounding a sex scandal involving Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison.

My first thought on this: Is this going to turn into a death by a thousand cuts?

New blog post added:

Thoughts From Kansas weighs in by shining the spotlight on GOP Chair Kris Kobach's involvement with a hate group and adding some thoughts on Morrison.

[2nd update]Johnson County Sun Chairman Steve Rose explains his call for the resignation of his old friend.

Jack Miles, one of Rose's editors argues that "failure as a husband does not equate to failure as a prosecutor" and says Morrison should stay on the job.

The Parsons Sun editorializes on the situation and can't quite decide if Morrison should resign.

The Hays Daily News editorializes that calls for Morrison's resignation are premature.

"Sebelius is right," & an "unmistakable emptiness" in Greensburg, Kansas

By Diane Silver

Kansas' biggest newspaper and The New York Times weighed in today on the debate over whether the National Guard is stretched too thin to adequately respond to disasters.

In an editorial, The Wichita Eagle praised the federal government for its response to the Greensburg tornado. But the newspaper also noted that the event "underscored Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' long-standing concerns about state National Guard equipment shortfalls."

The Eagle editorializes:

She and other governors have a valid concern about readiness.

Because of equipment and personnel diverted to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, "50 percent of our trucks are gone," she told NBC's "Today" show. "Our front-loaders are gone. We are missing Humvees that move people."

Sebelius raised concerns as far back as December 2005, when she wrote then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asking the Pentagon to replace National Guard equipment sent to Iraq.

She's still waiting.

The Pentagon has told Sebelius that Kansas probably will see two-thirds of its equipment and vehicles restored within six years. But 2013 seems a long time off on a weekend like the one Kansas just experienced.

As a resident of Tornado Ally with storm clouds on the horizon, I don't find it particularly comforting that Kansas won't get even two-thirds of its vehicles restored before 2013. The Eagle adds:

Sebelius is right to press for a higher level of Guard readiness on the home front.

Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at the National Guard shortages, including the fact that last year all 50 governors signed a letter to President Bush. The letter asked "for the immediate re-equipping of Guard units sent overseas."

For nearly two days after the storm, there was an unmistakable emptiness in Greensburg, a lack of heavy machinery and an army of responders. By Sunday afternoon, more than a day and a half after the tornado, only about half of the Guard troops who would ultimately respond were in place.

It was not until Sunday night that significant numbers of military vehicles started to arrive, many streaming in a long caravan from Wichita about 100 miles away.

...Nonetheless, the governor and officials in other states again expressed concern that the problem could occur again as the stretched National Guard system struggled to respond to disasters at home while also fighting overseas.

As State Senator Donald Betts Jr., Democrat of Wichita, put it: “We should have had National Guard troops there right after the tornado hit, securing the place, pulling up debris, to make sure that if there was still life, people could have been saved. The response time was too slow, and it’s becoming a trend. We saw this after Katrina, and it’s like history repeating itself.

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Illustration: Yet another great Richard Crowson cartoon from The Wichita Eagle. This is just a tiny slice of a much larger cartoon.