Thought of the Day: Michael Gerson

“During Obama’s transition, Dr. Mark Dybul was initially asked to stay on as the coordinator of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for several months until a replacement could be found and confirmed. Because Dybul was the main architect of the program and one of its guiding visionaries, few were surprised by the offer…By encouraging Dybul to stay until his successor was in place, the Obama administration displayed a generous spirit, as well as a practical concern for continuity in a vital program. Then, the day after the inauguration, Dybul received a call asking him to submit his resignation and to leave by the end of the day. It seems unlikely to be Hillary Clinton herself — Dybul’s ultimate boss at the State Department — who had not even been confirmed when Dybul received his call. But someone at State or the White House determined that sacrificing Dybul would appease a few vocal, liberal interest groups…Governing, admittedly, is not badminton. But it costs little to be graceful. And pettiness, in this case, may impose a cost on the world’s most vulnerable people.” — Washington Post op-ed columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson on Dr. Mark Dybul’s swift exit from the Obama administration, in a piece called “Weasels vs. AIDS Relief”