A breath of fresh air

If anyone thought Mary Frances Berry being booted out of the Civil Rights Commission was a bad thing, think again.

Republicans often complained that Berry's tenure as chairperson since 1993 allowed her to create a "fiefdom" in which millions of dollars -- about $9 million a year for a staff of 70 -- went into the commission and were then left unaccounted.

The House Judiciary Committee Constitution Subcommittee two years ago held hearings on the operations of the commission, which has offices in Washington. The Government Accountability Office (search) said in a report a year ago that it had been 12 years since the last audit of the commission and little is known about the panel's financial management.

12 years without an audit? Don't they have rules for federal agencies?

Good grief!