Doyle Response, Take II

Governor Jim Doyle today released the following statement:

"I've made it very clear that I have zero tolerance for any ethical lapses in my Administration.

"But I also have a lot of confidence in the procedures that the Department of Administration has in place, including making sure that career civil servants and not political appointees make decisions about contracts, and that contracts should go to the lowest bidder.

"I've certainly never met Ms. Thompson, and from what I understand the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, a Wisconsin company, and actually saved taxpayers $30,000.

"I'm a former prosecutor, and I have a lot of respect for prosecutors and the job they do. We take this very seriously. But we also have to be very careful that election year politics and partisanship don't take the place of fairness - and that a longtime civil servant isn't used as a political football."

Expect the message to become more refined as the days pass.