Statue controversy is getting ridiculous

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, February 13, 2002

Let’s see if I have this right. John Ashcroft says he feels uncomfortable giving news briefings in front of a piece of art showing an exposed female breast. (He does not like to have pictures taken with him in front of the artwork.) So, now he wants to spend $8,000 to have a curtain made to hide this artwork! Is this the same guy who conducts daily prayer meetings on the government’s clock?

Here are some simpler solutions for him to consider: 1) What’s wrong with moving the press briefing 20 feet away from the offending artwork? 2) What’s wrong with draping the offending artwork with a reusable sheet, at a cost of about $20? Is Mr. Aschcroft a living example of the Peter Principle (i.e., being elevated to the highest level of one’s incompetency)?

Marysville