Disbar Nifong

I'm glad to see Mike Nifong paying for his misbehavior during the Duke lacrosse case. It might seem that my musings are directed at Bush and Congress more than others, but my longest running disdain is for lawyers. The Nifong case shows most clearly how government politics and the practice of law don't mix. Nonetheless, lawyers swarm to political office and its side bars faster than ravers to Ecstasy. From time to time I hear how lawyers are necessary for government because one of its chief functions is making laws. Perhaps, but I remember a comment by John Dean who quipped how he thought he needed to know international and business law when he became White House counsel, but soon learned that he needed to be an expert on criminal law. The Clintons strained legality and credibility to new lows. I've seen more than one lawyer testify before Congress that people in DC often prefer to talk to lawyers because those conversations can be protected by Attorney-Client Privilege. That's comforting. Here in Florida, Governor Crist made an artless remark about how his administration has a lot of lawyers. Politics doesn't need lawyers, it's lawyers who need politics... and other lawyers. We should ask ourselves why lawyers need politics, whether government benefits from the high concentration of lawyers in the mix, and what citizens can do to improve the mix? One simple remedy is don't vote for lawyers.