We’ve already called Gov. Jim Gibbons a bunch of immature names for first whining and bitching about not being invited to a Yucca Mountain hearing in Washington, and then bailing on the hearing once he was finally invited. Seriously, Gov. Diva. Get over your gubernatorial self.

But there’s more! Instead of just sucking it up, we get a bunch more excuses from Carson City for what’s really become ridiculous behavior.

Melissa Subbotin, Gibbons’ press secretary, told the Review-Journal that the governor was going to try to make it out on the red eye, but just couldn’t make the schedule work. "Unfortunately, we are working with timely information [on the state budget] and at the end of the day, the governor felt the budget challenges took precedent."

First, it’s precedence, not "precedent." A precedent is an act, statement or decision that is invoked to deal with similar situations at a later time, like a legal precedent. (For example, "Gov. Gibbons set a bad precedent when he lied about why he had his inauguration at midnight.") Precedence means the act or right of preceding in time, order or rank. We’re just saying.

Second, Gibbons (and God knows we don’t like admitting this) is the governor. He can arrange budget meetings whenever he wants. His staff will wait for him. So if he had to be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, well, he could have a budget meeting on Thursday. Or Tuesday. Or whenever. That’s part of what being a "chief executive" is all about.

And poor U.S. Rep. Jon Porter! After sticking his neck out for Gibbons and saying a hearing without the governor would be a dog and pony show, the congressman had to deal with Gibbons’ ball-taking and home-going. "It was unfortunate he will not be able to attend," Porter said. (Memo to Porter: Gibbons, as we said Monday, is a bit of an ass clown. Don’t defend him! You’ll get ass clown all over your congressional blue suit!)

Now, over in the Las Vegas Sun, there’s something else that’s amusing. Porter spokesman Matt Leffingwell is quoted saying "The congressman feels he [Gibbons] would have offered valuable testimony." (And, knowing Leffingwell, dude did it with a straight face, too. He’s just that good.)

Subbotin, however, countered by saying Nevada’s views would be well-represented. "He [Gibbons] has great confidence in the delegation."

Really? Then why the hell did Gibbons bitch, cry, whine and moan like a little girl with a skinned knee that he wasn’t invited in the first place?! If the delegation could do such a good job, why not just tend to your budget  cutting and let them deal with Yucca, huh?

Unless, of course, you’re an attention starved brat who’s been watching The Hills on DVD late into the night at the mansion.

But Gibbons has been busy with the budget, right? Way, way to busy to do anything but crunch numbers, right? So busy that despite getting a Senate committee to invite him to a hearing and totally reshuffle its schedule to accommodate him, he doesn’t have a minute to spare, right?

Then why the hell was Gibbons in California on Monday touring military bases with his homeland security chief? That’s right: Our super-busy governor had plenty of time to burn playing G.I. Joe, but no time to travel back to Washington, D.C. and fulfill the commitment that he got himself into by throwing his political temper tantrum in the first place.

We spell that: A-S-S C-L-O-W-N.