Knoll & Rendell: Disgraceful remarks
Pittsburg Tribune-Review Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Sometimes politicians need to stop while they're behind.
Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll did a little politicking and offered some political commentary Tuesday last, uninvited, at the Carnegie funeral of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich. The Marine, 32, of Westwood, was killed in a mortar attack in Iraq on July 10.
Mrs. Baker Knoll began talking to Sgt. Goodrich's aunt during the Communion service. She handed the aunt a business card; Knoll called the funeral a "function."
Then Knoll told the aunt that the state government was "against the war."
Outrageous.
Visiting Pittsburgh on Sunday, Gov. Ed Rendell tried to make amends. Knoll merely was trying to be supportive, he said.
But even though Mr. Rendell said "our state supports the men and women who are fighting this war," he echoed Knoll's ghastly war remark: "It's not the business of state government to support the war."
Which would be news to those federal agencies, D.C. politicos and nongovernmental organizations to which the state has been whining about potential military base closings in Pennsylvania, citing the war effort and national security.
Apologies were the order of the day Monday. But the damage was done and the egg on the face is thick.
The best public service Knoll could perform would be to not seek re-election. As for Rendell, he could use a class in thinking before speaking.
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