Resigning, dropping out, etc.

Mike Huckabee has decided not to run for President in 2012. He's apparently doing well enough in the private sector that he chooses not to be indicted for any of the various things that would certainly be identified by the press if he did run put his family through the stress of proving that he was actually born in the US and not in a cave in the Pakistan / Afghanistan border area a long and hard-fought campaign. The miserable little fundamentalist bastard ex-governor of Arkansas was seen as a potential front-runner for the GOP in 2012; his departure pares down the crew of imbeciles and half-wits dumb enough to try a run for it to Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and the love child of an affair between Michelle Bachman and Charlie Sheen.

In another example of a politician hitting his Peter Principle level(1), John Ensign resigned last month to avoid an ethics probe. Unfortunately for him, The United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics released its report anyway, They said, in part:

"Based on the record in this matter, the Special Counsel respectfully submits that there is substantial credible evidence that provides substantial cause to conclude that Senator Ensign violated Senate Rules and federal civil and criminal laws, and engaged in improper conduct reflecting upon the Senate, thus betraying the public trust and bringing discredit to the Senate."

I'm having fun (yes, this is my twisted idea of fun) reading the report. You can too, if you'd like. It's here.

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update 2011 05 17: Trump's out, too.

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update 2011 05 18: Apparently the French, perhaps just caught up in the excitement, are dropping out of elections and resigning from things, too. Dominique Strauss-Kahn won't be running for President of France anytime soon, apparently.

And our own ex-Governor, Jenny Granholm, weighed in as well, suggesting a national gubernatorial policy of pants zippage retention.

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(1) See the link for a definition. Essentially, the principle postulates that you advance in your career until you exceed the point at which you're competent to perform. In the case of politicians, the McLuggage corollary to the Peter Principle adds the phrase, "... or until you get caught at something especially illegal or unpleasant," which appears to be the case with Mr. Ensign.