As is the wont of the Busheviks, Howard Krongard, Inspector General for the State Department announced that he will resign his post effective January 15, 2008 – on Friday afternoon.

Krongard, who has become increasingly embattled since it emerged that his brother is on the advisory board for Blackwater Worldwide, the security company assigned to randomly kill civilians it sometimes seems protect diplomats and VIP’s in Iraq, offered this startling comment about his relationship with his brother:

I am not my brother’s keeper. – Howard Krongard

Now for those of you readers who haven’t read either your Bible or Northrop Frye, Krongard’s somewhat flustered reference is to the story of Cain and Abel. In the story, which can be found in the Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve, post-Eden (out of which it’s a long road, as The Eagles have recently reminded us). In the story, both Cain and Abel make offerings to The Lord. And The Lord “respects” Abel’s offering but doesn’t “respect” Cain’s.

Cain gets pissed at Abel over this and kills him.

When The Lord asks Cain where his brother is, Cain famously replies, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” To which The Lord answers, in that inimitable way The Lord has, with a curse and a “mark” (as in “That’s gonna leave a…”),”Well, yes. Yes you are.”

So. What should we take from what Krongard has said – and what has happened to him?

1) He’s learned nothing from the lesson of Cain, apparently. So he’s been forced to repeat said lesson. Ouch.

2) Krongard’s brother would do well to watch his back.