Ed Morrissey

If that's the argument, though, it still doesn't explain why Noem didn't choose to have a vet euthanize the dog more humanely, or why she didn't give the dog up to a rescue org that might have found an owner willing to train it. And this doesn't quite comport with the description of the dog in the excerpt, which is that it was dangerous to the chickens but more or less in its puppy-snapping stage.

Either way, though, Noem keeps explaining, and in politics, when you're explaining, you're losing. Noem offered up this story in the belief that it would demonstrate her judgment in leadership. It has demonstrated her political judgment, and not in a good way.