So where has the "bipartisan governor" been while his crony and "financial guru" Scott Meacham spent the past week bashing bipartisanship and making wild statements about using the veto pen? GOP Chairman Tom Daxon issued a press release this afternoon asking the same question. He is asking the governor's office to disclose specific and detailed information about the chief executive's Spring Break vacation, where he traveled and stayed, how much the trip cost, and who covered the costs of his trip. "This week has been an important time for the people's business," said Daxon. "And while the governor has been out of pocket, his financial guru Scott Meacham has been making threats about using the veto pen to shoot down the bipartisan budget. I'm hoping the governor will return next week and that cooler heads will prevail. He should also address questions about where he has been." Paul Sund, the governor's communications director, has tried to avoid questions from reporters about the governor's whereabouts -- only willing to say that remarks about the governor's Spring Break vacation were "cheap shots." Well, now we know why the notoriously prickly Sund was so defensive about the governor's trip. Turns out that while leaders in the House and Senate were hammering out the details of a historic bipartisan budget agreement -- the earliest in decades, it seems -- Governor Henry was lounging on the beach and soaking up the rays in Cabo San Lucas at the posh vacation digs of trial lawyer Terry West. The governor has publicly pledged to be in favor of lawsuit reform, but the reality is he's in the hip pocket of the ambulance chasers. More interestingly, while he's been enjoying the rich dividends of jackpot jury verdicts, he's allowed his underlings this week to attempt to sabotage a bipartisan deal that would mark a real turning point in taking care of matters at the State Capitol in a businesslike way. Of course, we won't expect to read any of this information in the mainstream Oklahoma media. The Capitol press corps typically provides the "bipartisan governor" plenty of cover for his trips. All the media has been willing to say is that the governor is "out of state."

Labels: Brad Henry, Paull Sund, Press Bias, Scott Meacham, Tom Daxon

Posted at 3/23/2007 09:31:00 PM