I’ve been wondering why Mary Frances Berry chose to quit the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights without turning it into a big fight. Her relatively quiet departure seems totally out of character. So I recently suggested to Roger Clegg that she’s angling for the NAACP job. Here’s how Roger replied: “I suppose she could be angling for it, but (a) she could angle and also try to hold on for a few more weeks, and (b) I’d be surprised if she got it. As for (b), she is certainly a kindred spirit of [Julian] Bond’s, but I assume that there are others involved in the selection process besides him, who will be put off by her extremism, age, and lack of demonstrated ability to avoid financial scandal.”