By Joey Kennedy
Alabama Political Reporter
Boob.
That’s what brought former Gov. Robert Bentley down.
Not Rebekah Mason’s boob, either, though both of them were a factor.
I’m talking about “boob” as defined by Dictionary.com: “Boob1: A stupid person, fool, dunce.”
The “Boob2” definition is Rebekah Mason’s: you know, boobs.
But really, Bentley did not know his iPad connected to his iPhone? Really? My pug Peerey knows that.
Bentley accidentally sent an “I love you Rebekah” text to his wife. That was the beginning of the end of the Bentleys’ 50-year marriage. Or probably not. Probably just the last grasp, er, gasp.
Even after Mason resigned following the voice recordings of Bentley acting like a junior high kid with a crush, Bentley continued to take her to events on the State plane, including the Trump inauguration.
Boob.
With arrogance thrown in. An arrogant boob.
The Bentley saga has been well covered by The Alabama Political Reporter. And APR’s Josh Moon has an ongoing series, “The End of Robert Bentley,” where he outlines the many deeds, both political and unethical and illegal, that brought down the good doctor.
I know, some people say Bentley had to be pretty smart; he is, after all, a physician. Well, so is Ben Carson.
Besides, what do they call the person who finishes last in his class in medical school? Doctor.
Bentley’s resignation speech this week was full of God and glory. As Moon pointed out Thursday, Bentley acted as if he were just tired of being Governor and was going off to pursue other interests.
No, indeed.
Bentley’s resignation was part of a sweet deal where Bentley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, agreed never to seek public office again and to pay $50,000 to the State in various fines.
Moon is exactly right in his Thursday story “In the end, Bentley could only blame himself”:
“Humans make mistakes all the time. Great men and women have been undone by all sorts of vices – gambling, drinking, drugs and sex. And all people, great or not, have made mistakes or have just done dumb things. What matters, though, is a person’s ability to extricate themselves from those mistakes – to own up to responsibility, to take the blame, to right the wrong. Robert Bentley lacks that gene.”
And here in Alabama, we tend to elect politicians who lack that “take responsibility” gene.
Mike Hubbard, former Speaker of the House, probably Alabama’s most powerful elected official, was thrown out of office after being convicted of 12 counts of felony corruption. He still claims he’s innocent and hasn’t taken responsibility for his misdeeds.
Chief Justice Roy Moore, thrown off the court for the second time in his career because he refused to follow federal orders from higher courts. Moore responds with some kind of righteous indignation, forgetting, I supposed that he, too, swore to uphold the Constitution.
Now Bentley, who at least saw the four felonies he was about to face become two misdemeanors. But Bentley’s a criminal nonetheless and, despite that farce of those resignation remarks, an absolute disgrace.
And a boob.
Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column every week for Alabama Political Reporter. Email: jkennedy@alreporter.com
