26 Quotes by Paul Light

The paradox of this vice president is the things that made him so valuable in the beginning and so important to the president - his willingness to take the lead and be a strong visible advocate on some issues - have come back to haunt him. It's almost like everything that's bad in the administration has come back to stick to Dick Cheney .

You go to the FBI where they investigate the answers to your forms, there are only so many FBI agents available to do that. Then you go to the office of government ethics, where they clear your financial disclosure and cure any conflicts of interest you might have,

There's a general sense that the charitable sector has the touch needed, a better feel for the communities affected.

These scandals don't have very much impact on public opinion because opinion couldn't be much worse. They just reinforce what the public already believes.

Sacking the president isn't the panacea for what ails the Red Cross.

They've been getting slower and slower, and the vacancy rates have been climbing.

It's a rare moment when you get a housecleaning like this. It could presage a strong turnaround for an agency that's been adrift for years if not decades.

The basic question is, will the public listen to the government in the future, and that's a critically important question. It is entirely possible this could have a significant impact on the public's willingness to listen to their government, police, fire and charity officials in the event of another catastrophe in another city.

It's hugely embarrassing for the sector. I don't believe there is any malfeasance here. But . . . the notion that the Red Cross simply cannot track where the money is going feeds into this growing concern that charities cannot be trusted to spend their money wisely.