Someone Got To The Good Doctor

Dr. Fletcher Lamkin, president of Westminster college where Dick Cheney did his Kerry bashing speech Monday, was pretty torqued off Tuesday morning:

"I must admit that I was surprised and disappointed that Mr. Cheney chose to step off the high ground and resort to Kerry-bashing for a large portion of his speech."

Well, something happened between then and today, folks. Dr. Lamkin was a guest on Ed Schultz's show a couple of hours ago, and was apologizing for his bluntness and for his use of such strong language. He went on to say what a great leader Cheney has been in the past and in the current war on terror. All the while, though, he was glad that Kerry took him up on his offer for equal time on Friday.

It was a very bizarre pronouncement by Dr. Lamkin, and one can only assume that someone - either on the board or the student body or (place your bets) the Crackhead administration - got on the horn with him and scolded him for y'know, speaking his mind. Schultz naturally didn't press the issue while he was on the line with Lamkin - Ed's not noted for being very fast on his feet when it comes to interviews. But it would sure be interesting to find out what or who got to him.

Lamkin's original comments were particularly noteworthy when you consider his background:

Dr. Lamkin received a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an M.S. in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. His military education includes completion of the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College, and the Naval War College, where he was a distinguished graduate and winner of the Mittendorf Award for Best Student Research.

Prior to his appointment as Dean at West Point, Dr. Lamkin served in numerous command and staff positions in the Army, including battery command in Vietnam, battalion operations officer in Korea, and battalion command in Germany. While at West Point, he served as a department head and as Vice Dean prior to being appointed as West Point's tenth Dean. He retired from the Army as a Brigadier General to take his position at Westminster.

Yeah...I'm convinced now. He got a spanking from the White House. Collect your winnings.