Steve Duin: The John Kitzhaber disaster

It came to this Friday morning: John Kitzhaber masqueraded as the clueless, helpless, rudderless fool he has long derided.

In the painful process, he begged us to believe Oregon's governor and Cylvia Hayes are both officially engaged ... and legally disengaged.

Even as Kitzhaber reaffirmed his love for Hayes at Friday's press conference - in response to the charge he has long been blinded by it - the governor clumsily moved to distance himself from her on various legal, political, and tax-evasion issues.

Hayes is henceforth banned from a political role in the Kitzhaber administration, he announced.

Hayes alone is responsible for problems with her federal tax returns, which don't list consulting fees she admits she collected in 2012.

"These are very serious allegations," Kitzhaber admitted before insisting he has absolutely "nothing to say on the issue of Cylvia's taxes ... I did not review and did not prepare her tax return. Those (questions) need to be directed to Cylvia."

And the governor sees no reason to tell his partner - in love and, regrettably, the energy policy - to make herself available.

"She is an independent woman," Kitzhaber said. "She doesn't work for the state of Oregon ... If Cylvia Hayes wants to talk to the press, she will get in touch with you."

The answers to most of the tough questions, in other words, are now quarantined with Cylvia, who is forever in Sweden or similarly removed from disclosure.

Kitzhaber can't even figure out if Hayes can be legally described as a member of his household, despite four times listing her as such on his annual ethics filings.

"I don't know the answer," the governor said, unconvincingly.

On so many levels, "First Lady" doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Kitzhaber, apparently, is no longer leaning on Patricia McCaig for caustic, self-defeating political advice.

He sounds, instead, as if he is now taking cues from an attorney -- Steve Janik is the attorney of record -- who wants to convince the Ethics Commission that Hayes is neither public official nor a legal member of the gubernatorial household, thus placing this dumpster fire beyond the commission's jurisdiction.

Good luck with that.  We're only moments away from "no controlling legal authority."

Kitzhaber made several things clear Friday: He has not yet been contacted by the FBI. He still does not believe the plumbing of all these "gray areas" requires an independent prosecutor.

And, no, he is not resigning.

But the governor made so many things worse.   Time and again, he sought the sanctuary of stupidity. He looked both desperate and insincere.  Marshawn Lynch? He actually invoked the Seawhawks' Marshawn Lynch?

As the new dimensions of the governor's defense became apparent, Kitzhaber was asked how this mess compares with that of Bob McDonnell, the former governor of Virginia. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty of trading political favors for bundles of cash and gifts, and McDonnell was sentenced earlier this month to 24 months in prison.

It may end just as badly.  But the cruel irony of the comparison is that Kitzhaber has hardly enriched himself in this relationship with Hayes.  He has raised endless doubts about his judgment, his discipline, his instincts, his staffing, and his love for Oregon.  His political stock loses half its value on a weekly basis.

Far too many questions remain about influence peddling for Kitzhaber to nimbly disengage from the soul mate who provoked them.

There are too many dark-gray questions about the interplay of Hayes' consulting contracts and her role as First Lady/Possible Member of Household.  Too many interminable duck-and-cover delays in responding to requests for public records.

For better or worse, Kitzhaber and Hayes have made this bed together and slept comfortably in it.

That's why I believe that if Kitzhaber is ever forced to choose between the woman and the office he loves, he'll walk into the sunset with Cylvia.

She's the known quantity.  She's the safe harbor from essential questions the governor doesn't want to answer.

-- Steve Duin

sduin@oregonian.com

503-221-8597; @SteveDuin

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