http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/news/stories/20041105/localnews/1543773.html

Money quote:

"I would have never gone forward making the request if I had thought we would be $5 million out of the money," Thames said. "It would have been foolish to have done that. I would have never done that."

I think this is a version of the "walking, talking, blithering idiot" (make that "idot") quote.