Erasing Doubt
By
Leonard Zwelling
This is hard to do with any critical decision. There is always buyer’s remorse and cognitive dissonance when a big decision is finally made. At least there often seems to be.
That Dr. Ford is 100% sure that Brett Kavanaugh attacked her 36 years ago and he is 100% sure he didn’t and further that the characterizations of his drinking and sexual behavior made by various men and women is 100% wrong should be concerning. Her memories about where the attack occurred and how she got to and from the location of the alleged attack are hazy. His might be if he really drank as much as many have said he did. That either of them can be 100% sure of what happened all those years ago is doubtful—but not impossible. Both were convincing. Both are convinced. Both seem sure. One was petrified to have to relate her story. The other was belligerent in the way he related his, even invoking the Clintons as being a part of the conspiracy to deny him the seat on the Supreme Court which he seems to think he’s earned.
With this much doubt and this superficial a look at the facts by the hog-tied, Trump-limited FBI, the obvious judicious course of action would have been to throw the judge back at the White House and force the president to start again with a less controversial nominee. But No! That’s not what happened.
Instead we get a two-vote margin of approval in the Senate for the most consequential appointment on the Supreme Court in a generation. No doubt about that.
My point is that it is almost guaranteed that Ronan Farrow and the rest of the investigative journalists in the press will continue to look into the allegations against Kavanaugh. If they find that he drank to excess, attacked other women, or lied under oath, then what? Will the House have to impeach him? Will the House even be Democratic enough to do so? Who knows? It will all become clear in the ensuing months.
In 2011, when Dr. DePinho was named president of MD Anderson, many of us had great doubts that he had the skill set needed to lead the institution which was, at that time, reeling from financial problems and a distinct lack of ethical leadership for several years. I thought none of the finalists for the job then were up to the task and was more convinced than ever once Dr. DePinho and his wife opened their mouths. They had a delusional view of cancer and of the institution. It was very obvious very fast that he was a poor choice and would certainly not redirect MD Anderson after the Mendelsohn years of ImClone and Enron and financial shortfalls.
Flash forward. Many of us with those doubts were proven to be correct. Dr. DePinho was an awful match for MD Anderson.
Unfortunately, many of his appointments while he was here are still on site making mischief. One who came along and was a great addition was Jim Allison, who just won a well-deserved Nobel Prize.
What I found remarkable in the video posted on the Houston Chronicle website of the celebration for Allison was who was right behind him. First, there was Dr. Pisters—appropriate enough. Then there was Dr. DePinho, still looking for a ray of the limelight.
I am going to go on record to say that it is time for the FORDs, Friends of Ron DePinho, to leave Houston. I have called for this for some time and now I believe it is time for Dr. Pisters to quietly escort one and all of the FORDs off the MD Anderson campus and on to their next opportunities.
There is great doubt that Judge Kavanaugh was the right man for the job. My fear is that in ensuing days we will be made certain that he was not a good choice.
The same was true in 2011 when Dr. DePinho ascended. Now we know it was a mistake. He and his crew need to vacate the premises. No doubt.
