Editorial: Alaska Native corporation's weak defense

"Chris O'Neil, president of Sealaska Corp., had a classic response to the criticism of Sen. Albert Kookesh for his threats to the Craig City Council if it opposed a Sealaska land claim before Congress. Weak but classic.

Minimize the offense, blame the media for reporting it and stress the far greater importance of the issue that has Sen. Kookesh so passionate that he's threatening to use his power as a state senator to bring the Craig council to his way of thinking.

According to O'Neil, Kookesh's remarks were "incongruous" and made in an "unguarded moment."

Incongruous? Maybe, if the dictionary definition you use is "inappropriate" or "unsuitable," although those are tepid descriptions for a raw power play.

Unguarded? Sure, and we're glad Kookesh didn't have his guard up because he made plain the nature of his game."

Get the Story:

Our view: Huh? (The Anchorage Daily News 1/28)

Also Today:
Sealaska CEO says Kookesh misspoke (The Anchorage Daily News 1/28)
Sealaska CEO: unfortunate that media is focusing on Kookesh controversy (The Anchorage Daily News 1/26)

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