All together now -- Thank You!: Stephanie Grace
You could argue that the first rule of being a team player is that you're not supposed to talk about being a team player.
The whole united front thing really works best when it seems organic. Those who rely on politicians' largesse know they're supposed to offer their heartfelt thanks, and keep any doubts they may have to themselves. Spontaneous expressions of gratitude are just part of the deal.
Except that often they're not so spontaneous. Sometimes the terms of that deal get spelled out in writing. And rarely, evidence of such an arrangement makes its way into the public sphere and clues everyone else in on how these things really work.
Take last week's email by LSU System President John Lombardi to his fellow LSU executives, which somehow found its way into the hands of reporters covering the release of Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposed budget.
The strong-willed, tart-tongued Lombardi may be nobody's doormat. But he also gets how politics is played, and in this case, he explained it all.
