Kundra Rising

Bam! Pow!

Every week I watch the Cranky Geeks as longtime industry vet John C. Dvorak and his panel of crusties, deconstruct the currents of the software and internet industries. This morning he has dropped a bombshell. I swear it stinks. It might be that Vivek Kundra is a fraud. The one thing I was prepared to give props to in the Obama Administration might be created by a second order trickster. No masters degree, no university teaching as his press flacks say, and no real corporate leadership either.

To wit:

I have already queried the White House concerning this and have heard nothing back. While researching this seemingly bogus degree, a number of interesting and questionable facts appeared, most in regard to Kundra’s bio. The most ridiculous is his assertion that he was formerly a CEO of Creostar. While records for this company are hard to come by a small Dun & Bradstreet service did turn up the following information: there was indeed a Creostar in Arlington, VA. It was founded in 2004 with the contact being Vivek Kundra. The last record for the company (online) showed sales of $67,000 with one employee – apparently Kundra, the CEO.

Hell I've done that. I've done better than that. And I never had the nerve to call myself CEO in a company of one. President, sure, but CEO? 

Here's the thing. If you have your doubts about Obama the man, there is always the consolation that as President of the United States, that he presides. He cannot run roughshod over people who have spent their lives making things work. Sure, he'll take down many hapless victims and destroy good work, but he really can't ruin the whole country. He will be surrounded by good people who will check him.

Except for those who cannot, like his functionaries and all the hangers on who rode his coattails. And you expect a few of those be exposed now and again. Well, Kundra appears to be the first of those who fooled me, because I wanted Obama to succeed when it came to transparency through IT. I never heard of the man and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Silly me.

I expect, if Dvorak is correct, that Kundra will be just another in the long line of broken bodies under the Obama bus. But for the man himself. I am now convinced that he is an appallingly poor judge of character.

Is there any good news to be had? Has Obama already been reduced to handing out medals? Perhaps he can replace Paula Abdul on American Idol, while he's still popular with the youth.