They can try to protect him all they want, but Bob Taft will have to answer for every mess allowed on his watch.
Columbus -- Gov. Bob Taft's lawyers scrambled Wednesday to prevent the questioning of the governor and five key aides about their knowledge of an investment scandal at the state Bureau of Workers' Compensation.Senior Deputy Attorney General Arthur Marziale Jr. wrote a late-afternoon letter declining all six depositions requested by Sen. Marc Dann, arguing that Dann's lawsuit seeking access to communications between the bureau and the governor's office "is not about past occurrences. . . . Rather, it is about the privileges asserted by the Governor's Office" in keeping the records closed. [...]
Dann, a Democrat from Liberty Township, said the Ohio Supreme Court will decide who must appear. He said Conrad and Hicks are being subpoenaed separately.
"Bob Taft has to come out of hiding at some point," Dann said. "The people of Ohio deserve a lot of explanations, including why [the officials] think documents created in the course of their public duties are somehow not available to the public."
As the latest development in the investment scandal unfolded, Taft made his first public appearance in more than a week far from the glaring scrutiny of Capitol Square: in the peaceful foothills of Appalachia.
The governor and first lady Hope Taft spent the morning visiting artisans in rolling Morgan County's developing Hickory Ridge corridor.
Taft said he was unaware of the latest SurveyUSA poll, which found that his approval rating had fallen to a new low of 17 percent. The numbers left Taft 50th among governors.
Spokesman Mark Rickel later said: "We don't govern by polls, we govern by results. The governor is proud of the results accomplished by his school-building program, his highway reconstruction program, the Third Frontier program and the improved economy that will result from the recent reform of Ohio's tax code."
Blah, blah, blah. How can they ignore repugnant poll numbers like this. It is truly disgraceful to have such an unpopular governor act this way. Too bad we don't have a recall provision. But look at the bright side, even if Taft won't face political reaction for this, the rest of the state GOP surely will.