Report: Strickland doesn't want to be Governor

On Thursday, the Governor's office went to great efforts to push the story that they had cut state spending by $366 million.

(we'll leave out the fact that total growth of the state budget expanded by 7.9%, or 4.19 billion, or 1218% of what Strickland claims to have cut)

An elaborate and detailed press release was distributed to the press that included quotes from Ohio Budget and Management Director Pari Sabrety and Department of Administrative Services Director Hugh Quill.

Now, for those that have served in state or federal government can attest, it's incredibly burdensome to get something like this through the bureaucracy and checks and double checks and triple checks for approval and eventual release to the press.

Or, at least it should be.

But after today's article in the Columbus Dispatch, it's clear that the Governor simply doesn't want to be Governor anymore. Somehow, Ted Strickland worked a report through the system in an effort to simply score points and ignore any semblance of reality.

The Dispatch's article goes out of its way to rip Strickland apart for, in essence, completely and totally trying to b.s. every single Ohioan who initially bought into the report.

Gov. Ted Strickland issued a report this week touting $366 million in reduced state spending last year, but it appears that nearly $210 million did not come from spending cuts.

[...]

The administration said Strickland's "austerity" executive order last year reduced state spending by renegotiating contracts, centralizing more purchases to get lower prices, reducing fuel costs and making a variety of other moves.

Officials said they weren't trying to be misleading by releasing the $366 million figure; they simply compared expenses in three accounting codes from one year to the next for all state agencies, boards and commissions.

Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst said a review by the Office of Budget and Management yesterday found no other anomalies in the report.

In other words, "ok, you caught us."

This is horribly embarrassing for the Strickland Administration. Not to mention, shameful.

Quit while you're behind, Gov.