Packers Turn to Ari Fleischer

If there were any doubts regarding the Packers' intention of allowing Brett Favre to compete for the starting quarterback position, the Packers have done their level best to add fuel to the fire. After last week's comment by head coach Mike McCarthy that Favre would be welcome back to Green Bay only in a back-up capacity and by team general manager, Ted Thompson, that the Packers were moving on without last year's starting quarterback, and in the wake of team president Mark Murphy's attempt to coax Favre into full-time retirement with a large payoff, it seemed that there was little else that the Packers could do to show their disapproval of Favre's intended return.

In a move that has flown far too low under the national radar, however, the Packers offered one even larger hint at their intentions for Favre when they brought in former White House spokesperson, Ari Fleischer.

Fleischer's penchant for spin, his long suit in representing the Bush Administration during the Administration's halcyon days leading up to the invasion of Iraq, presumably was his card in calling when the Packers signed him to a one-month contract to deal with the Favre saga.

That the Packers suddenly shifted courses after bringing in Fleischer is zero surprise. What's surprising is that virtually no outlets outside of Green Bay have reported on the Packers' move.

For skeptics of the Packers' purportedly honest intentions, Fleischer's short-term hiring offers more ammunition. For hopeful Packer fans, it should breed only contempt for an organization that now has moved beyond the pale in addressing the situation.

Up Next: Resolution?