Messenger: Blunt knows how to walk away

In a blistering and accurate portrayal of Gov. Matt Blunt's tenure, Springfield News-Leader Editorial Page Editor Tony Messenger notes the governor's less than classy exits:

Matt Blunt knows how to leave a room.

Early in his tenure as governor of the state of Missouri, he chose the side door when disabled advocates came to a meeting in the state Capitol wanting answers about why they could no longer qualify for Medicaid benefits. Blunt had his people keep some of the folks in wheelchairs out of a meeting of the Governor's Council on Disabilities, and those who were able to sneak in wanted to talk to him. He left them behind.

Lately, as the pressure over an attorney general's investigation into alleged document destruction mounted, Blunt found other ways to leave the room. First a security guard pushed a pesky reporter out of the way when he was trying to ask Blunt questions about fired attorney Scott Eckersley.

Then, after Eckersley sued the governor for defamation and wrongful termination, he turned his back on reporters asking similar questions.

Now, he's just walking away, telling the state that after this year he doesn't want to be governor anymore.