Star profile of troubled ex-lawmaker with Alzheimer’s hits the right tone

Kansas City Star political writer Steve Kraske did a damn fine job profiling former Congresswoman Karen McCarthy in Sunday’s paper.

The profile walked a delicate line — McCarthy has Alzheimer’s disease, but her past as a once shining star of the Missouri Democratic Party was marred by ethics violations (dipping into campaign money to pay for a trip to the Grammys) and high staff turnover (she was tough to work for and had admitted problems with alcohol).

Kraske wrote a sensitive but thorough and that’s worth a read.