Fiascoes in tid bit form...

Two (perhaps unrelated -- who knows?) tidbits about things to look forward to. Today was the release date of Thomas E. Ricks' Fiasco, a book about the US venture in Iraq that is receiving very favorable reviews. I am a fan of Ricks' work since reading his 1997 book on Making the Corps. I pre-ordered a copy through Amazon, and supposedly it will be in my hands either late today or early tomorrow.... And speaking of fiascoes: A lawsuit filed in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chair Matthew J. Amorello, contains a letter written on July 17 by Governor Mitt Romney that will supposedly be the focus of a hearing Romney will hold Thursday morning seeking the removal of Amorello, who is asking the court to stop the process. The letter essentially places the blame for the recent Big Dig "collapse" on Amorello. Thus the predictable politicization of the Big Dig fiasco continues -- and most tragically of all, mainly for show and the benefit of political egos on both sides rather than for any good public purpose. The shallowness of it all came through almost immediately after the accident and was documented by Boston Herald columnist Peter Gelzinis: With one sentence, during his bizarre encounter with the press yesterday [July 11], we were reminded just how shallow Gov. Mitt Romney truly is. "Something happened today,"” the Mittster said, his perfect hair strangely mussed, "“that we believe substantially improves our legal ability to remove Chairman Amorello." Something? Something? Is that all Milena Del Valle's life amounted to in Mitt Romney'’s eyes? "“Something?"” The 38-year-old mother of three from Jamaica Plain perished under 12 tons of falling Big Dig concrete Monday night, while riding to the airport to welcome relatives. And our governor's main reaction to this woman'’s tragic death was to see it as "“something"” that '“substantially improves'” his Ahab-like quest to harpoon Matt Amorello, to say nothing of his Washington longings. Tags: Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, Iraqi War, Making the Corps, Matthew J. Amorello, Mitt Romney, Big Dig, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Peter Gelzinis, Boston Herald, accountabilitybloke, Mel Dubnick