And if he had something to say, why the generalities? Why not spell out exactly what he thought Murray did wrong?

It was poor taste, a cheap shot; it was kicking a man when he was down.

In the end, all Huntsman did by going public was cost jobs. Murray said if Huntsman was going to make him the whipping boy and not support him in this time of crisis, he would be forced to lay off workers, which he soon did (170 of them).

Huntsman of all people should know what Murray is going through. They aren't that different. The Huntsman family knows what it's like to be the owner of a large company (in his case, Huntsman Chemical) and have people take shots at you (over, say, environmental issues). Murray and the Huntsmans are both trying to turn a profit with companies that employ many people and expose them to certain risks.

The governor's part in the mine disaster was merely in keeping with the modern formula. First there's a disaster, then people point fingers, then politicians, seeing this, rush in to do the same, and then somebody gets blamed, then the government appoints commissions to investigate and for months afterward come periodic reports.

It remains to be seen of course what culpability, if any, Murray must bear, but already the governor has acted as judge and jury.

Anyone can come in after the fact and make charges; if there were problems, maybe the government (and governor) should have spotted them sooner.

"I'm not happy or satisfied with the way it played out," Huntsman said.

Who is?

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Doug Robinson's column runs on Tuesdays. Please e-mail drob@desnews.com.