The Metro government drones who are foisting a white elephant Convention Center hotel on the innocent public are making the deal with Hyatt Hotels in a back room devoid of light, air, or public scrutiny. It's a bad, bad way to run government. The second-tier politicians who sit on the Metro board ought to have their heads handed to them over that in their next elections. But of course, this is Portlandia, and they'll just mumble something "green" and coast to re-election.

Today we learn that even with nobody looking, they're having trouble getting the Hyatt people to be realistic. There's a "funding gap," we're told, and the talks are stalling.

There's also a common sense gap. Let's hope the talks break down and this stinker of a deal slinks back into its tomb, where it belongs.

It's also sad to observe that yesterday's spin on the deal from Tom "Waylon" Hughes, the underachieving Metro president, made no mention of a "funding gap." That was a sneaky omission, weak reporting, or both.