By Joey Kennedy
Alabama Political Reporter
This won’t be a long column. Doesn’t have to be. Not much explaining or analysis needed.
Disgraced former Gov. Robert Bentley, in an interview with WVTM-TV this week, said he was “the best Governor Alabama’s ever had by far.”
Yes, he did. He said it.
And: “Had people just left us alone, Alabama would have been a lot better off.”
Bentley said he achieved more in seven years than the previous five governors.
SMH. Bentley is as delusional now as he was when he thought his top aide, Rebekah Mason, was in love with him. Who knows, maybe she was. But she likely was more in love with the power.
Bentley, the “best Governor Alabama’s ever had by far” was caught up in a sex scandal with Mason that ended his 50-year marriage and tagged him, facetiously, the “Luv Guv.” Then Bentley resigned after pleading guilty to misdemeanor campaign finance charges.
But, hey, what should we expect from the “best governor Alabama’s ever had by far”?
Of course, Bentley blamed political opponents for his downfall. And bad legal advice. Those are new ones; nobody’s ever used those excuses, right?
Bentley isn’t even the best disgraced governor Alabama’s ever had. Former Gov. Don Siegelman had more on the ball. Former Gov. Guy Hunt was at least likeable.
Truth is, Bentley was – and remains – an embarrassment to Alabama, maybe the most embarrassing governor Alabama’s ever had by far.
And with an interview like he gave this week, he continues to be an embarrassment. The 74-year-old dermatologist, back on the job mashing pimples, even changed his first name to “Doctor” when he first ran for governor. So he was then known as Dr. Doctor Robert Bentley.
Bentley supposedly didn’t take a salary as governor, but even considering that, he was way overpaid.
While it was a sad day for Alabama when Bentley was elected governor, it’s sadder still to see what he’s become in his forced “retirement.”
We’ve had some awful governors in our history. Bentley may very well be the most awful by far.
See, that didn’t take long.
Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes a column every week for Alabama Political Reporter. Email: jkennedy@alreporter.com.
