The Colorado GOP's Scott McInnis: Giving new meaning to responsibility
---
I don't pretend to have mastered the ins and outs of a hot and hotly contested race for the governor's mansion in Colorado where US borders angel, former presidential candidate and former GOP Rep. Tom Tancredo is now making good on his threat to enter the primary race as a third-party candidate if lame-o GOP candidates didn't drop out and the state party didn't put up credible candidates.
One of the non-credibles staying in the race is the ethically challenged Republican Scott McInnis, who, as Coloradoan.com puts it, is plagued by "the controversy surrounding the plagiarized water writings he produced as part of a two-year, $300,000 agreement with the Hasan Family Foundation after he left Congress in 2005."
What's up with that? McInnis seems to bristle at the question. At a recent appearance, the Coloradoan reports:
McInnis did not discuss the controversy surrounding the plagiarized water writings he produced as part of a two-year, $300,000 agreement with the Hasan Family Foundation after he left Congress in 2005, even though at least one member of the audience asked him before his speech to better explain what he had done.
"I said, this $300,000, what was it for, I mean, what was it really for?" said Kareen Davison, who describes herself as an active Republican.
"He said it was for a number of things that I did over several years. And I said OK, then why don't you e-mail me that information? I'll be glad to try to help you get it out," she said in an interview.
McInnis grew visibly annoyed when reporters for the Denver Post and Coloradoan asked him about Davison's concerns after his speech.
He repeated several times that he had taken full responsibility for the plagiarism revealed by the Denver Post and KMGH TV.
But when asked about Davison's broader question of what he did for the $300,000 over two years from the Hasan Family Foundation, McInnis snapped: "I'm not getting into it. We're done. I've taken full responsibility. Jeez."
He briefly walked away from reporters, then stopped and said he would answer questions on other issues.
Unless "I've Taken Full Responsibility. Jeez" replaces The Buck Stops Here in the annals of leadership, I don't think McInnis will be Colorado's next governor.
Go Tancredo.
