Not My Fault

Accused of conspiring to loot his own company and other serious acts of malfeasance, former CEO, Ken Lay was vigorous in his own defense before the microphones yesterday. He admitted that he accepted responsibility for the disastrous collapse of the company but only in the sense that it happened "on his watch."

He, personally, was not guilty of any crimes nor responsible for the instant ruin of many thousands of employees whose life savings and pensions evaporated as Enron's stock values plummeted.

Lay said that he was responsible only in the sense that he had participated in the selection of Mr. Fastow, who Lay points to as the villain in this affair. Mr. Lay admits that he is definitely not to blame because he didn't know what was going on. He did not indicate any plans to return the $10 million bonus he got just before the implosion. It does not seem to occur to him that if he doesn't deserve jail, then he certainly did not earn the bonus.

Now, today, there is a similar item in the news. The Senate Intelligence Committee reports that the CIA unwittingly deceived the President and his staff about the situation in Iraq. At all levels, the presumption of Saddam's WMD's was simply accepted without critical inquiry. Supporters of Co-Presidents Cheney-Bush have been quick to vindicate the actions of the Presidents, because, "It clearly wasn't their fault." The faulty intelligence is the culprit, not the ill-advised decision to act upon the faulty intelligence.

So, you might ask, "Who's fault is it?" The answer is blowin' in the wind, my friend. It's that big sucking sound that CEO's and Politicians make when they are distancing themselves from accountability. It's the sound of finger-pointing - always to some hapless minion who didn't completely cover his own ass.