True Leadership

The head of a Chinese manufacturer whose lead-tainted Sesame Street toys were the center of a massive U.S. recall has killed himself.

Cheung Shu-hung, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Co., committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself. Though the police report did not give a reason for Cheung's apparent suicide — and the company declined to discuss the matter — it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Lee Der (awesome irony) was under pressure in a global controversy over the safety of Chinese made products, and, lucky for us, is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China.

Earlier this month, Mattel Inc., was forced to recall 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by Lee Der because they were decorated with paint found to have excessive amounts of lead. The Fisher-Price brand toys included likenesses of Big Bird and Elmo, as well as the Dora and Diego characters. Days later, Chinese officials temporarily banned Lee Der from exporting products ,and exstimates are the recall cost the company $30 million.

How much ass would that kick if disgraced officials did that here? Rove would be dead by the end of August, for starters...