Md. Foster Care Draws Scrutiny (NCPAC/MD4Bush)

When Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. stood in front of the State House on Thursday and called on news reporters to investigate Michelle Lane, he said he suspected a little digging would expose her role in a politically motivated conspiracy to tar his reputation.

Instead, lawmakers and public advocates have begun to review documents and e-mails that the former Ehrlich loyalist wrote in 2003 before being fired from her state job. They say Lane's correspondence may reveal something altogether different: deep flaws in the governor's handling of the state's foster care system.

Paul E. Schurick, Ehrlich's communications director, said his office may request a formal review of a memo from Lane that the governor called "blackmail." In that Feb. 13 e-mail, Lane accused the governor's aides of trying to smear her and threatened that if she wasn't left alone, she would distribute damaging correspondence she received from Joseph Steffen, the former Ehrlich booster who was fired days earlier for circulating rumors about a political rival.

Schurick said he sees proof that Lane is "clearly part of the orchestrated anti-Ehrlich establishment" in her decision to hire Daniel Clements, a Baltimore lawyer with deep ties to the state Democratic Party.

"Her attorney is [former Democratic governor] Parris N. Glendening's personal attorney," Schurick said. "What more do you need to know?"

Lane has said she was not given a reason for her dismissal but was escorted from her office by armed guards.

The records, which Lane provided to The Washington Post, appear to document her repeated efforts to alert top officials in the Ehrlich administration to evidence that the state was neglecting foster care children by assigning them to social workers who were on leave or retired.

More about Ms. Lane and her attorney. The WaPo also claims she is a Republican who worked in various Ehrlich campaign and administration related jobs. But Lane's lawyer is a well-connected Democrat and she's cooperating with the Washington Post.

Hey WaPo! Just when did that cooperation begin? This week? Or before the original Rumorgate stories last month?

The WaPo is pouring tons of manure on top of this story in hopes something beautiful will grow.

True. And what the WaPo doesn't report (besides the fact that MD4Bush posted quotes from their initial report on Steffen precisely at the same minute the first report appeared on WashingtonPost.com) is that Baltimore City has its own Office of Children, Families and Youth.

Baltimore is unlike any town in Maryland. It is treated as its own county and has autonomy, it is also under the control of Mayor Martin O'Malley. Baltimore is also the city where foster kids died! Note that WaPo doesn't even mention O'Malley's name in this story. Why wasn't he questioned about foster kids who died in his city? Liberal bias, you bet!!!

WaPo also doesn't report that Governor Ehrlich had been in office only eight months when Lane sent her CYA memos about the problems with foster care. Failure of the Maryland government to properly ensure care for foster kids started long before Ehrlich toook office; the dead kids are a Parris Glendening legacy.

Ten months after the problems were identified, Lane was fired and I'm betting it was for failing to be effective in fixing problems with foster care. Instead, she formed an alliance with Maryland DUmbocRATS (Clements and Genn) and the Washington Post to go after the Governor, who has done a good job for Maryland. Governor Ehrlich has led efforts to actually fix problems with foster care, no thanks to Lane, Clements, Genn, or the Washington Post. Those people are disgusting.

Lane's lawyer is a well-connected Democrat and she's cooperating with the Washington Post.

Well-connected: Clements was Parris Glendening's lawyer. Glendening was the last DUmbocRAT Governor of Maryland, and the problems with foster care were ongoing under his administration. Governor Ehrlich has worked to fix the problems with Maryland foster care (no thanks to Mayor Martin O'Malley of Baltimore, where foster kids died).

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