To say he's off to a rocky start would be charitable

I'm no fan of the new governor of Massachusetts but remained willing to give him a fair chance. However, since Deval Patrick became governor just two short months ago, he's squandered public funds on a new Cadillac and furnishings and capped this off by making a call to a bank on behalf of a political contributor:

The new administration is trying to recover from weeks of negative news about Patrick, including his recent phone call on behalf of a controversial mortgage company to a bank with extensive business before the state.

Patrick's risible explanation was that he was making the call as a "private citizen" and not the governor of the Bay State. But now Patrick is stepping away from his duties as governor entirely because his wife, a prominent lawyer, is suffering from depression:

Governor Deval Patrick will continue leading the government but will delegate some of his work to Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray and to his Cabinet, Murray said yesterday. The announcement came one day after Patrick said he would work a more flexible schedule to spend more time with his wife, Diane, who is suffering from exhaustion and depression.

I don't want to psychoanalyze Diane Patrick but I find it hard to believe that a woman as accomplished as she (an employment lawyer) didn't comprehend the demands of being First Lady of Massachusetts. And now the modest Deval Patrick, who would not deny himself the trappings of a governor, will put the interest of one person over the interest of the entire state.

Extra - More from Mass Backwards (with unfortunate profanity), New England Republican, and Deval Patrick Watch.