PRIME Minister Bruce Golding reminds us of that stubborn Pharaoh of biblical times who sacrificed Egypt to plague after plague before releasing the Israelite slaves in accordance with conventional wisdom.

And we wonder how much longer he intends to carry the leaky bag of excuses that he has employed to explain his administration’s handling of the US’ extradition request for the strongman of his West Kingston constituency, Mr Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

Surely he must realise that when the Washington Post, the same news outfit that brought down US President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s, begins to discredit him, the gig is up.

According to our Friday edition, the Washington Post reported that a Jamaican Government minister sat in on at least one of several meetings that American law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips had with Obama administration officials weeks after the unsealing of a New York grand jury indictment against Mr Coke, who is accused of drug-and gun-running.

Coming as it did on the heels of multiple denials by the Jamaican Government concerning their involvement with the American firm, the report is damning.

Here’s the replay from the Washington Post:

“The records filed by Manatt under FARA (the Foreign Agents Registration Act) say only that ‘treaty issues’ were discussed. But administration officials confirmed that the conversations were primarily focused on the Jamaican Government’s opposition to extraditing Coke.”

Could this really be true?

Or are we to believe that the oldest and largest newspaper in Washington, DC has gone crazy?

More importantly, how does Mr Golding plan to respond to the Washington Post’s story? Will he continue to stiffen his neck, to the detriment of the country? Or will he come clean, confess before further information is exposed and let the chips fall where they may?

As things stand now, all graceful exits out of this one have been closed off.

There’s no more room for claiming ignorance or sprouting bravado. Whatever other information is out there is going to come out, bit by bit, in the most public and humiliating way.

We are going to find out who paid that US$50,000 to whom and for what.

We are going to find out what Mr Harold Brady, the attorney-at-law who — if Mr Golding is to be believed — took it upon himself to engage Manatt at his own expense, was talking about when he intimated that the Government is hiding damning information.

We are going to find out why Mr Golding is taking such a personal interest in Mr Coke, an interest that he has yet to demonstrate in the countless young girls who are being forced to spread their legs for the sexual entertainment of the dons who rule garrisons.

And when we do, he can rest assured that the response will not go the way of the nine-day wonders to which we are so accustomed.

For this sort of hubris is simply intolerable.