• In 2002, Dobelle waited until the 11th hour to endorse a candidate in a closely contested governor's race — the wrong candidate, as it turned out — an unnecessary act of breathtaking political stupidity as he surely must have known the governor appoints the regents who would sit in judgment of his performance.

• He must surely have known as well that the union representing his faculty endorsed the other candidate as far back as 1998.

• In a massive triumph of form over substance (not to mention common sense), Dobelle spent a considerable amount of university money to hire a Mainland firm to come up with a new logo for the university — an ugly logo, as it turned out — knowing full well that he was slapping the abundant artistic talent of his own institution right in the face.

• Dobelle seems to have taken great delight indulging in a foolish hobby: fostering a long-running feud between himself and the Board of Regents on any pretext at hand.

• Despite advance notice of an important meeting with the board, Dobelle decided to emulate former Vice President Al Gore, who skipped town and skedaddled as far west as the U.S. of A. would permit (right here to the Big Island) when the articles of impeachment concerning his boss were being hotly debated in late 1998 by a House Judiciary subcommittee.

• State Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawai'i Kai), is quoted as saying Dobelle has himself to blame for being absent during the meeting: "It's quite obvious the guy fled town to avoid accountability" ("Dobelle regrets backing Hirono," June 18). Hemmings is exactly right on this point.

• In a desperate bid for sympathy, Dobelle now sheds crocodile tears of remorse about his decision to endorse Mazie Hirono as though that were the proximate cause for his dismissal two years ex post facto.

The Advertiser reports, "With the locks on his office doors changed, telephone service to his College Hill home cut — and then restored — and his assistant put on administrative leave before a vacation, Dobelle's ties to the university are quickly being officially severed. But he has still not spoken with the regents who fired him." This more than anything is the scarlet letter of guilt Dobelle has emblazoned across his forehead. Specifically, what he is guilty of we do not yet know. That he knows he is guilty is now beyond question.

So, what emerges?

On the evidence at hand, it seems reasonable to conclude Dobelle took on more than he was capable of handling. Surmise: He was finally tripped up by a combination of clumsy arrogance and hubris. He attempted to engage in a battle of wits, but made the fatal mistake of climbing into the arena half-armed.

Conclusion: UH is well rid of this bumbling, self-inflated character. The message to future aspirants to the post? No clowns need apply.