Or, Why the Hell did Tom Ridge take the Damned job?
I see we're back up to Orange Alert.
I've been wondering why a presidentially ambitious, politically moderate Republican would take on the single most thankless and difficult job ever spun out of thin air (or whole cloth). I've also been wondering how long Mr Ridge was willing to eat the shit sandwiches that are a part of his compensation. Sisyphus Shrugged is beginning to wonder too.
I once came up with a good argument that Mr Ridge had been promised Vice-President on the 2004 ticket because he's everything Cheney is not. Briefly, Ridge (a) is former governor of a state that gave 23 Electoral votes to the Democrat in '00, (b) served in Vietnam, (c) is healthy, (d) is not seen to be in the corporate pocket, and (e) seems like a nice guy/doesn't exude evil.
I've since come up with a great argument that John Ashcroft has been sabotaging Homeland Security since the beginning because Ridge is everything Ashcroft hates. Quickly, Ridge is (a) Catholic, (b) pro-choice, (c) in favor of gun control, (d) all of that and running for President.
Posted by Martial