Can't agree. Phil is as good as we're going to get.

Let's remember the situation. The State of Washington got hit hard by the recession over the past 5+ years. WDFW lost staff by the hundreds. Some very experienced, knowledgable people lost their jobs, or retired, or decided to jump ship. The State, and WDFW, had no choice but shed staff, given the dire economic situation they faced.

So, when faced with the significant loss of staff and experience, the prudent thing to do is to address the issues that are currently "eating you for lunch". That's what Phil did. The issue of ESA compliance for hatcheries was a long-standing issue, with no visible end in sight. It was a sleeping dog (albeit a big one). He had bigger fish to fry, at the time.

Given the choices, he made the right decision then, even though that big dog is now wide awake, and eating him for lunch. We ought to maintain our perspective, and support what WDFW is trying to do (i.e., minimize the damage from the lawsuits).