Sometimes they get it right

The New York Times that is, as in today's Op-Ed concerning Jim McGreevy's refusal to step down.

We again urge Mr. McGreevey to step down. New Jersey voters have already been exposed to one too many unelected governors. Christie Whitman bequeathed the governor's office to Donald DiFrancesco, the Senate president at the time, when she joined the Bush administration in 2001. Mr. DiFrancesco's tenure was not successful for many reasons, one of which is that he had no real legitimacy as a governor because he had not been elected in a statewide vote. Mr. Codey would carry the same burden and, like Mr. DiFrancesco, would be required under the State Constitution to stay on as Senate president while he served as governor - an insult to the whole notion of separation of powers

They go on to seriously attack the Democratic Machine in New Jersey.

The Democrats have been silent on the matter ever since Senator Jon Corzine, who would have been an odds-on favorite had he chosen to run in a special election, announced that he would defer to Mr. McGreevey's wish to stay on as governor to tie up legislative loose ends. This was one of several reasons Mr. McGreevey offered for his decision in a recent article on The Times's Op-Ed page.

What's at issue here, however, is not the political ambitions of either party or the legislative agenda of a damaged lame duck. At issue is whether New Jersey's voters are going to get a democratic say over who governs them. Partly with that in mind, a Princeton lawyer has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Mr. McGreevey's timetable. A ruling is expected next week. Mr. McGreevey can settle the issue himself by stepping down today.

The Times has a lot of problems, and are routinly criticized for their insanly biased editorial coverage. When the rare occaision occurs that they put their bias aside and take an honorable stand, we should all applaud them.

There is one thing I wish they mentioned though, that the Democrats need not run Jon Corzine to win the Governorship. New Jersey is a vastly more liberal state than the one I grew up in and almost any halfway decent Democrat, who can rise above the scandals that have plagued BOTH PARTIES in Jersey would stand an overwhelming chance of claiming victory. When you consider this, Mr. McGreevy's actions are even more bizare.