Editorial: Gibbons’ erratic behavior

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007 | 7:36 a.m.

After being left off the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's witness list last week for a hearing on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons complained loudly, writing a letter of protest. His aides attacked Democrats, saying the governor was slighted because of partisan politics. His allies worked to wangle an invite. The committee responded, inviting him to testify at today's hearing.

Now Gibbons won't go.

Melissa Subbotin, Gibbons' spokeswoman, said the governor will attend meetings to discuss state tax revenue and possible budget cuts. Subbotin said Gibbons had "hoped" to go to the Senate hearing but "believed that it would be most prudent to stay in the state."

In other words, he is taking his ball and staying home. So there. Take that, Senate!

Gibbons' move is baffling even to his supporters. He demands an invite, gets one and then doesn't go? And then he uses meetings about a yet-to-be-seen budget crisis as an excuse? What is he thinking?

Gibbons' latest petulance points to a larger problem in his ability to lead. Being governor demands that you be able to juggle a variety of things at once. Nevadans, at the very least, expect their governor to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

For two decades Nevada's leaders and the congressional delegation have juggled any number of important issues while working together to fight the plans to dump at least 77,000 tons of deadly nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. We hope Gibbons' former colleagues in Congress will not see his absence at the Senate hearing as a sign of a divided state leadership. The last thing the state needs is to give Yucca Mountain supporters an opening to press the issue.

Nevada needs strong, unified leadership to stop the dump. This is not a partisan or petty issue, but one that will affect generations of Nevadans. Gibbons needs to realize that and act like a governor.