RP has a piece here about the mini-controversy in the blogosphere about the Kass Commission being suddenly stacked. What’s especially infuriating about the unnecessary martyrdom opportunity provided one of the ex-members, Elizabeth Blackburn, is that evidently the whole thing could have been avoided (disingenuous claims that the deck has been stacked all along aside) had their been a little prep work done—by someone who handles press. Blackburn says she wasn’t warned that she’d be kicked off, but folks familiar with the situation point out to me she attended 15 out of 30 of the council’s meetings. Seems like there would have been an easy way to make her removal a non-surprise (and maybe she wasn’t surprised as she says she was, but there should have been a statement or something making that clear already available to the press officer the Washington Post called, etc.). Furthermore, William May’s exit was evidently of his own doing—he has not been quoted in the press yet, so far as I’ve seen, but I’m told he wanted out—he’s recently retired and didn’t want to have to travel to D.C. for the meetings. Again, could’ve been avoided.