Van Hollen v. Steve Nass

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has the good sense not to get hysterical about admission policies at UW which take race into consideration. He suggests a more holistic admissions consideration process, which seems like the obvious solution -- there are right and wrong ways to do affirmative action. Steve Nass was quick to respond to Van Hollen's comments:

"I am saddened that the attorney general didn't stand for equal treatment under the law for all applicants to the UW System," said Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, the chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee who first sought an opinion on the matter. "This informal opinion will fast forward the UW System's desire for reverse discrimination."

OK, Rep. Nass. I can't wait to watch Nass try to run for Governor someday. He's like a subtler version of Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" -- always getting heated up in the name of some harsh principle, never knowing quite what that principle is, and not caring because it makes him look and sound really important to those who aren't paying attention. Nass will talk about affirmative action today, and in this case his viewpoint is absolutely valid despite my disagreement. But tomorrow he'll be the vigilante anti-UW crusader again, blabbering on about cutting off university funding and closing down branches of the sociology department which are too progressive. He's an enemy of academic freedom masquerading as an ally. But you already knew that.