Enough is enough!

Richmond's mayor, L. Douglas Wilder, was itching to make some news yesterday, but he didn't want to trust reporters to ask him the right questions. No problem. The Mayor just asked his own doggone self what he wanted to say and said it before a camera operator he could have fired, if it suited him.

The result was a short, rambling video that did little but perpetuate the squabbles he has been having for as long as anyone in these parts can remember. Writing for the the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Will Jones reported on Wilder's private news conference:

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder stepped from the sidelines of the mayoral race yesterday, accusing two of his would-be successors of wanting "to return to that old form of government."

In a 3½-minute video news release, the mayor said the upcoming election is vital and that his remarks should not be construed as a candidate endorsement. Speaking into the camera, Wilder then offered a blistering attack that appeared to be aimed at two mayoral candidates: Del. Dwight Clinton Jones, D-Richmond, and City Council President William J. Pantele.

Click here to read the rest of Jones' article.

Click here to view/listen to Wilder's video.

Wilder's video was pure political theater -- propaganda. Gotcha last spin.

In no way did it resemble official business and, of course, we know who paid for the camera and the editing, etc. Just as we know who is going to pick up the tab for all the attorneys' fees being incurred to defend Wilder for his Friday Fiasco and other legal problems he has created out of thin air.

Mayor Wilder talks about the future and progress, but since he can't let go of his many grudges, all we get is a lot of talk that sounds all too familiar.

-- Words and art by F.T. Rea