Tim Goeglein: In my own words

Local Bush insider nailed for plagiarism:

I was going to write a post about Tim Goeglein last year. I either just never got around to it, or was sub-consciously avoiding the subject altogether. It would not have been a very nice column. Tim's a nice guy and all, but. . .our world views are as different as night and day.

You see, Tim and I were classmates. And having alphabetically close names, even shared several home rooms over the years. Back in those days, I thought little about politics. Tim was always on student council; I was already working. Perhaps our separate paths had already been set at that young age.

I can't tell you much about Tim after high school; I never thought about him again until we both attended our 20-year high school reunion in 2002. I recall being disgusted by his position as an aide to Bush, but remained civil. That early on, he was already projecting that cheesy Washington insider persona, dripping with false interest in everyone who's hand he shook. He seemed even more fake to me at our 25th reunion last summer. I watched, amazed, as others appeared awestruck by his stories and canned witticisms.

I started doing some Google-searching of my own, just to see what he was all about these days. What I found only lessened my opinion of what he had become - and who he associated with:

Goeglein is such a solid "ambassador" to the Christian Right that when Ted Haggard, the head of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE - website), made his first post-election visit to the White House he stopped by and congratulated Goeglein for his effective work of bringing Christian voters to the polls.

"He is the key person that actually produced the evangelical vote in America," Haggard told the Indianapolis Star. "It was Karl Rove's initiative, but it was Tim that actually did it. When we call Tim, his office responds. He's the one evangelical leaders across America have a relationship with."

In addition to giving Goeglein his props, Haggard was at the White House to "talk about proposed legislation and encourage the White House to hire evangelicals as interns," the Star reported.

In short, Tim was the "go to" guy when Bush and Rove needed someone to pat the heads of the religious right. . .to assure them that Bush and company were on their side and to get out the vote for him. He likely was a huge force in turning them out to elect the great national disaster that we have endured for the last 7 years. And for that, I cannot forgive him.

Olbermann on Goeglein