In mid-April, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams wrote a letter to Montgomery County Police Chief Charles A. Moose, requesting that the chief change the title on his proposed book from Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the D.C. Sniper to the less District-focused Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Beltway Sniper. Meanwhile, the Montgomery County Ethics Commission was nipping at Moose’s heels, on the grounds that any book about the sniper case would mean the chief was seeking improper enrichment from his official duties.
Last week, Moose announced a new subtitle that seemed to answer both lines of criticism: How a Lifetime of Nurturing Helped Me to Deal With a Public Crisis. The implication was that Moose’s time on the job was only incidental to the truly important lessons he’d learned in his life. Nice try, but who wants to read about nurturing? Some livelier alternatives for the beleaguered chief. CP
The Moose Caboose
How a Lifetime of Collecting Toy Trains Helped Me Catch the Armed Bandits
Chocolate Moose
How a Lifetime of Indulgent Desserts—Coupled With Daily Exercise—Helped Me Stay in Shape for the Marathon Sniper Investigation
Sans Plus Tarder Moose
How My Semester Abroad at the Sorbonne Helped Prepare Me for My Rendezvous With History
My Book About Me, by Me Myself
One Bad Guy, Two Bad Guys, Young Bad Guy, Old Bad Guy
By Doctor Moose
Zeus ‘n’ Moose
How the King of the Greek Gods Helped Me Crack the Sniper Case
Footloose Moose
How—Despite the Grumbling, Finger-Wagging, and Tongue-Clucking of Town Elders—I Persevered in the Face of Adversity and Danced. Yes, Danced!