The Hot Seat Our Weekly Look At People In The News

Badges? They don’t need no stinking badges.

County Commissioner Phil Harris is catching heat for spending $340 of taxpayers’ money on gold badges for his fellow commissioners. Steve Hasson paid for his own badge and says he’s already used it. George Marlton called the idea ridiculous and won’t wear his. Meanwhile, Harris maintains the office needs some recognition. We agree but think badges aren’t enough. We think Harris should exchange the badges for Batman and Robin costumes for himself and Hasson. Holy budget, Bat-Phil!

Badboy Bob bids adieu

Bob “Loverboy” Packwood finally resigned last week. “I leave this institution not with malice but with love,” he blubbered. But apparently not with as much love as he had for the dozens of women he groped and breathed on in his 27-year career. Even Dianne Feinstein let Playboy Packwood off the hook with some kind words. At which point the smarmy solon clutched Feinstein’s hand and cried like a baby. Yecccch. Enough. We’re not shedding any tears for Bob Packwood. We feel a lot worse for the women he forced himself on over the years.

When you gotta go, you gotta go

We could start our own slow-pitch league with all the softballs the Senate subcommittee threw to Randy Weaver. So far the investigation has been choreographed to generate sympathy for Weaver. Dianne Feinstein came closest to a hard question when she asked about the 20,000 rounds of ammunition and his displays of swastikas. Weaver couldn’t answer because he had to go to the bathroom and Feinstein never returned to that line of questioning. Weaver certainly deserves some sympathy but if fairness means anything in the hearings, the public needs to know the extent of Weaver’s radical beliefs as well as the murderous acts of federal agents.

, DataTimes MEMO: The Hot Seat is an irreverent look at controversial issues in the news. The views expressed are those of the writer. Today’s Hot Seat was written by Scott Sines.