At its first-ever public meeting, the regents of the Smithsonian Institution sat around a red-covered table and announced they wanted "a lively dialogue." The audience did not hold back. The first volley from the public, gathered in an auditorium at the National Museum of Natural History, was essentially this: Why didn't all of you resign, since you are the people who picked the last secretary? The tone of the question implied that the group was responsible for the tenure of Lawrence M. Small, which ended in a scandal and smeared the reputation of the ... (more)