Didn't take long... Kasich starts to wilt...

I should have read today's Columbus Dispatch ("Wall Street ties might hamstring GOP hopeful Kasich")  Let's see, beside discussing Kasich's employment with Lehman Brothers before its epic collapse (and his public praise of its now vilified CEO), the Dispatch has the following public nuggets:

• Kasich would not comment directly for this story because he is not yet an announced candidate for governor. However, his longtime aide, Jai Chabria, said in an e-mail response to questions that Kasich is proud of a private-sector career that has focused on promoting economic growth and creating jobs.

• During his time at Lehman, Kasich surely made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, with some estimates putting his annual salary at $1 million or more. Kasich also is a regular commentator and show host for Fox News; Chabria said terms of Kasich's contract with Fox are confidential.

• Kasich also brought in an aggregate six-figure income by serving on the boards of Worthington Industries and Invacare, a northeastern Ohio medical supply company. Both companies' political-action committees and executives lavish contributions on members of Congress, including Kasich when he was in the House.

  Kasich made more than $87,000 in 2007 in total compensation on the Worthington Industries board and more than $60,000 on the Invacare board, according to Forbes.com and confirmed by the companies.

• Kasich also is a well-paid celebrity speaker, often before audiences of private companies and trade groups. He commands between $10,000 and $30,000 a speech, according to one speakers bureau profile promoting his appearances. Chabria would not disclose Kasich's speaker fees and cautioned that fee ranges on Web sites "often do not reflect actual compensation to the speaker."

• When and if he becomes a gubernatorial candidate, Kasich likely will be asked by reporters to divulge his tax returns, as have most other recent gubernatorial candidates. Kasich won't do it now and didn't commit to doing it.

So, Kasich won't allow himself to be interview regarding his exploratory bid for the governorship.  Won't disclose the details of his Fox News contract, his speaker fees, or his tax returns.  And, he's been employed by a scandal-plagued investment firm that famously collapsed this fall, but is still able to pull in a decent income from corporate boards he used to accept campaign donations from.

BTW, how many times can a person respond that they won't answer a question unless the person becomes a candidate without both raising interest in the question and suggesting that the guy isn't as serious about considering the race as once publicly portrayed?