It is now apparent that the commission will recommend that [Flynn] replace his boyhood friend, Police Commissioner Francis Roache. On Wednesday, Flynn defended Roache's integrity, saying Roache "does not even take a free cup of coffee."

Deep down, Flynn must know he and Roache have blown it. Once upon a time, it mattered that Roache could not be corrupted by free coffee. No more. The St. Clair Commission has just called for the big broom. It has called for Flynn to be the sweeper.

Last week, the Globe learned that the Flynn administration squashed its own investigation of the Stuart murder case in 1990 because the investigation, done by a New York firm, was critical of the police, Flynn and the media. Flynn and Roache were never interested in the truth. They both refused to be interviewed for their own investigation.