Davey has already alerted us to the passing the Plowgate blame-game happening at the Governor’s office. Apparently, Lt. Governor Roberts does not appreciate being left in the dark about Travelin’ Don’s horribly-timed, irresponsible, smarmy-ass Iraq trip and then blamed for the resulting “unprecedented traffic disaster,” heretofore known as Plowgate (TM).

RIFuture quotes Charlie Bakst:

“Like every Rhode Islander, what I saw yesterday I never want to see again,’’ she declared at a news conference.

This was not the policy wonk or the cheerful face that are more familiar aspects of Roberts’ persona. This was one furious woman, and, by the way, an ambitious politician with a great chance to make a splash and score points.

Reporters flocked to Roberts’ office, drawn by the prospect of political bashing — an aspiring Democratic gubernatorial candidate vs. the term-limited, absent Republican governor — played out against the backdrop of a fresh, raw experience all Rhode Islanders shared. Roberts likened the state’s handling of the situation to a “debacle” or a “catastrophe,’’ a touch melodramatic, perhaps — though not if you had a kid stranded for hours on a bus.

Bakst also sets the facts straight: “A 1992 constitutional amendment deleted wording that put the lieutenant governor in charge whenever Number One was out of state. Indeed, Roberts said she hadn’t known Carcieri was going away until she saw news accounts that he was already abroad.”

I drove from Westerly to Providence on the afternoon of the storm, and the roads were awful, and dangerous. Carcieri deserves a lot of blame. But I also have to say that Providence could have done much better, too. The steep streets of college hill were unplowed until almost midnight, and I watched many struggling or stranded cars almost hit my house as they vainly tried to escape the winter deluge. Plowgate is all about Carcieri’s negligence, but I think the city deserves some criticism.

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