Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer
Bob Riley could not leave office without the editorial chiefs at The Birmingham News puckering up and planting one last sloppy kiss right on the governor's white, doughy behind.
The latest shameless love letter from Alabama's largest newspaper to our outgoing GOP governor comes in an op-ed piece titled:
The piece, written by former News reporter Tom Gordon, is astounding (even by News standards) for several reasons:
* The content of the op-ed piece does not match the headline. Gordon dives into all kinds of statistics, none of which support the headline's claim that Alabama is in better shape after eight years of Riley rule. Gordon's article, taken charitably, shows Alabama has tread water under Riley. But when you include unemployment statistics, which Gordon conveniently ignores, the state clearly has gone backwards.
* Gordon's op-ed is contradicted by an article on the front page, of the same issue, about incoming Governor Robert Bentley. In so many words, Bentley says he is inheriting a mess. So how did Bob Riley leave us in better shape?
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