Has Our Mayor Gone FIGMO?

Back in the day, when the Army dictated my dress code, it was easy to recognize when a fellow soldier was on the verge of completing his tour of duty. The saying was that "he's gone FIGMO," an acronym for "Forget it, got my orders" (sanitized version).

FIGMO was best manifested in the soldier's work attitude. With the end in sight, he had no time for much of anything. He volunteered for nothing. He was terminally afflicted with what was called "short-timer's disease."

All of which may help explain the behavior of D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams. With only a handful of months to go before he is required to clean out his desk, the mayor seems to have gone FIGMO on us.

By virtue of that blessed state, Williams appears to believe that he is no longer obligated to go all out for the people who pay his salary; that with his termination date on the horizon, he is entitled to a little self-indulgence.

How else to explain our mayor's globe-trotting and the merry old way in which he is riding out his time?

But let's pause for a little truth-telling: The mayor actually came down with a bad case of wanderlust before this year. Take a look at recent trips:

2005

June 7-10: Beijing.

June 17: London.

June 23-26: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sept. 10-11: Thessaloniki, Greece.

Sept. 12-15: Frankfurt.