Flint Water

Gov. Rick Snyder announces support of the city of Flint's plan to switch back to Detroit water due to high lead levels during a news conference with Mayor Dayne Walling in Flint on Oct. 8, 2015.

(MLive.com files)

It was very revealing how some readers responded to the post that the first lady thought her husband might die from a blood clot. Instead of reflecting on the gravity of that story, lots of folks wanted to beat up on the governor for allegedly poisoning the kids in Flint with lead.

Make no mistake: The Snyder administration did not experience its finest hour in its handling -- critics would say bungling -- of the Flint water contamination problem.

Much like the old Watergate hearings, where everyone was asked what they knew and when they knew it, the same penetrating question is being asked about this story.

The governor concedes it was the biggest challenge he faced in 2015 and perhaps for his entire term in office.

For those of you who missed it, when the decision was made to shift from Detroit water to H20 from the Flint River, residents immediately complained about the quality of the new supply. No one knew at the time there was lead in the water, but the administration's first response was that there was no problem.

And it wasn't until a local doctor did lab tests and uncovered the lead in the blood of little kids that the administration kicked into high gear, allocating $10 million for water filters, human testing and checking the water in all the schools.

The governor has also formed a task force to review what happened and, while the report is not finalized, there is every indication to believe mistakes were made.

The governor was given a chance on statewide Public TV the other day to apologize to the Flint community for making those mistakes.

Here's what he could have said. All the facts are not in yet, but if mistakes were made, and obviously residents should not have been exposed to lead, if mistakes were made, you will have my apology loud and clear. I understand the public health crisis the residents are facing, and be reassured we are doing everything we can to address the problem.

In a town where anxiety is off the charts on the long-term public health impact on children and adults, citizens might have found an ounce of comfort in that.

What the governor did say was this: "I will be happy to take responsibility as appropriate through this process, and the best guidance on that will be based on that report."

He was also asked if he was sorry this happened, and he said, "Well, yeah."

One of the most telling moments in this saga was when General Motors disconnected from the Flint River because the water was ruining its machinery, leaving some to wonder -- if it was doing that to machines, what was it doing to humans?

Critics contend that red flag alone should have motivated the administration to redouble its due diligence to get to the bottom of this.

Another debating point involved the emergency manager, appointed by the governor, who participated in the water switch decision.

The critics contend the EM was more interested in saving money, and because the Flint water was less expensive, he shut off the Detroit pipeline.

The governor believes there were a host of others who participated in all this and he contends, "I think they factored in other things, but let the report speak for itself."

Needless to say, when the report speaks it will make news, news that may not make the governor's day.