Bookman: In a twist fit for a Greek epic, Jones could be Jackson’s Achilles heel

by Jay Bookman, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission] August 18, 2026 In much of “The Iliad” – the ancient Greek “prequel” to “The Odyssey” now dominating the summer movie box office – the hero Achilles can be found sulking in his tent outside the walls of Troy. He is bitterly angry at his fellow Greeks, feeling that he has been cheated and disrespected, and thus refuses to fight any longer on their behalf. “You don’t need me? Fine.” Even when the great King Agamemnon begs him to rejoin the battle, telling him that the Greeks are likely to lose without his help, the sulking, prideful Achilles refuses. Achilles, in other words, is exactly like Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, or would be if Jones were the son of a sea nymph and not the heir to the Jones Petroleum Company, and if Jones were the greatest warrior in the ancient world instead of a former walk-on football player at the University of Georgia. Otherwise, though, pretty much the same.  In the weeks since being outbid for the GOP nomination for governor by Rick Jackson, Jones has been sitting on the sidelines, nursing his
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