ProgressOhio

U.S.  Sen. George Voinovich’s well-sculpted image as a Boy Scout has been eroding for years (especially after we learned that the foundation for Coingate was laid on his watch).

Now, his image as a level-headed intellect is dissipating by the hours.

Poor George melted down during an interview with talk-show host Sean Hannity, who happens to be one of the right’s top-ranked talk hosts in the nation. The right has always been suspicious of Voinovich and now he’s given them more cause for concern.

It started when Voinovich showed that he misunderstood the ramifications of an amendment to the immigration bill. It ended when he hung up on Hannity.

For Ohio’s George Watchers, this was nothing new.

When George doesn’t get his way, he gets mad and he tosses out the rules that normally govern polite society – not to mention the rule of law.

Way back in 1996, when Voinovich was governor, he ordered his state pilot to take off, despite a no-fly order in place until Air Force One took off from a nearby airport. (President Clinton was in town, which could explain why George was in a foul mood.)

A transcript of the conversation released by the FAA shows that Ohio’s gov was so determined that get to his destination that he was prepared to weather any consequences – even death.

 “If they can shoot us down, they can,’’ Voinovich bellowed. “I’m going to tell them to go screw themselves, OK? I’ll take the responsibility. They can put me in jail or whatever they want to do, but this is bullshit.’’

Take responsibility?

There’s a story there, too.

The FAA fined George – a notorious tightwad -- for his misconduct and he initially decided to fight it (but only because he was represented by a taxpayer-provided lawyer. Hey, if they people are paying while the meter is running, who cares?)

When the legal bill exceeded the cost of the fine, newspapers started to care. The public became outraged. Talk radio took up the cause.

Eventually, George paid the fine and the legal bill.

But will he apologize to Hannity?