This past week a mysterious thing happened: Former secretary of Health and Human Services – and former governor of Wisconsin - Tommy Thompson released a white paper giving his opinion on how to reform Medicaid. Beyond the mystery of its lack of originality and lack of useful data is a far greater mystery: Why would he think anyone would take him seriously? His performance as governor and secretary should have stripped him as every last shred of credibility. Thompson is a political pigeon: He flies in, messes everything up and then flies away, leaving the cleanup to others. He may try to mimic songbirds, here to make our lives more pleasant, but don't be fooled. Example: When the Bush administration offered states $12 billion in Medicaid dollars over a of couple of years if they promised to pay it back at the end of 10 years, Thompson was asked what happens in 10 years, when the droppings hit the fan, he reportedly chirped "I wont be in office then, so its not my problem." Thompson has always been a pigeon, of course, but he spent so much time strutting around the country pretending to be otherwise that no one bothered to look at the mess he left as governor of Wisconsin.