Do It Wrong From The Gittgo

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / Concerns raised on examiner commission

So Governor Romney, AKA The Mitthead, with the usual vapid and self-congratulatory grandstanding, this week announced the appointment of a commission (Commission on Medicolegal Investigation) to recruit a new head of the state medical examiners office, an office lately under scrutiny for such "Hi I'm Dr Nick !"-like exploits as cremating misidentified corpses and losing body parts -- a pair of infants eyeballs, to be precise -- crucial to forensic investigations.

Turns out the State is under statutory mandate to have such a commission already up and running.

And that such a commission is legally mandated to include two board certified forensic pathologists.

Guess what. It doesn't. It's got a couple of regular board certified pathologists, but none with further training, expertise and certification in medicolegal pathology.

Oh, well, of course "...the governor's office had made a "good faith effort" to comply with the state statute for appointing the Commission on Medicolegal Investigation, which requires membership of two forensic pathologists certified by the American Board of Pathology..." according to Herbert P. Wilkins, a retired Supreme Judicial Court chief justice also on the commission.

Looks like a member of the press had actually done some homework, and asked the Gov. a pointed question:

"Are the forensic pathologists on this commission certified as required by statute?"

Never passing up an opportunity to cover up pathologic ignorance, display transparent disingenuousness and/or shift the blame and discomfort to others, our fearless leader turned to the just-sworn-in members onstage with him and asked:

"Are there any forensic scientists on this commission that are not board certified?" (Forensic scientists ? Does anyone remember what the meaning of is is ?)

And, as Mr Cox, my history 101 professor was fond of saying, "everyone stared fixedly at the floor."

So Mitt turned back to his adoring crowd, flashed his pearly whites and replied, "They are all certified."

One of the two pathologists later explained she thought he simply meant board certified in pathology. (A "forensic science.")

I would call this starting out on the wrong foot.

Where, as the ME's office might well ask, is the right foot ?