Sen. Norm Coleman is in a pickle right now. He promised the good voters of Minnesota that he would oppose drilling in ANWR, but when his president needs him to break a pledge, it looks like he might just do so. Mark Kennedy clearly wants to avoid the issue if at all possible. From the Strib article:

As the lobbying intensifies, Coleman is not the only Minnesotan in environmentalists' focus. They're also taking aim at Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy, who said he opposes drilling but who won't say how he'd vote if the measure is included a budget bill.

"I don't answer 'if' questions," said Kennedy, who's running for Senate next year.

Doesn't answer if questions, eh? Well, we do know that he brags about voting in line with President Bush 99% of the time, so I guess the question is: Where does Kennedy's mom stand on ANWR drilling?

For some reason, having two SCOTUS vancancies isn't enough for the good folks over at Kennedy v. The Machine. They want to take out Justice Stevens as well! Better get Pat Robertson to start praying for another vacancy. Maybe this time he should name names!

Hell, why doesn't Bush just expand the size of the court, make it like 15, then you can have your conservative monopoly on justice.

Ok, I admit it. Toby is right. Using disreputable sources like Capitol Hill Blue or Fox News won't make us any friends. That being said, I saw that Jerry Falwell has the truth in a video you can order about the Clinton administration and how Bill Clinton had people killed in Arkansas to cover-up his cocaine addiction.

Just kidding by the way. We really do need to be careful about sources lest videos hawked on the liberal version of Jerry Falwell (who would that be, Jesse Jackson?) become authoritative for us and we look like liberal loonies.

With all due respect to my co-blogger, Mr. Pemberton, I want to say that I think that this blog is not here to perpetuate rumors, hearsay, or partisan attacks for the sake of attacking. That being said, if our president has a drinking problem it is his and his family's business, lest it interfere with his job. I believe that personal matters should not become subject to public scrutiny unless there are clear signs that scrutiny is actually warranted (sometimes if they are clearly being hypocritical). Bush is a recovering alcoholic, he is human and susceptible to relapse, but that doesn't mean that it is actually the case nor that the left should jump all over him for it if it is the case. Also, citing gossip and tabloids as sources is just as bad as citing the Washington Times, News Max, or Matt Drudge as a credible news source.

Rhandi Rhodes of Air America is reporting on her show today that President Bush is not on the wagon, contrary to his public statements. In fact, he is prone to angry outbursts and obscenity (Capitol Hill Blue) which Rhodes quoted sources as saying was partially due to his use of alcohol. Hmm...And people voted for him due to his leadership on "moral issues"?

I'm not quite sure why Toby is so anti-Patty. Patty Wetterling has great name recognition throughout the state and nationally. Republicans like John Walsh support her, and it is hard if not impossible to attack her character in a campaign. That being said, Amy Klobuchar has great credentials and is in the unique position of being perceived as both tough on crime and pro-civil rights, positions that I have long maintained are not contradictory. This race will be a hard choice for many DFLers and could cause the disunity that usually causes us to lose in the general election. My hope is that they both honor the endorsement so the party can unify early and not have a primary battle.

Kelly Doran probably did the right thing in switching to run for Governor. First of all, there is nothing shameful in switching races this far out, especially since this was his own decision. Need I remind everyone that Pawlenty and Coleman did this same type of switch at the request of VP Dick Cheney. I'm not ready to come out and say that Doran is the best DFL candidate for governor, but I must say that he is looking much better than Mike Hatch right now. I'll say right now that from what I know about him, he's going to be a heavy hitter. Let's just hope that Pawlenty and the MN-GOP keep ignoring him for another few months.

It is a shame though that he did switch before dropping some serious change into his Senate race. I read in the Strib that if Doran spent more than $1.2 million of his own money on the race, that the other DFLers running in the primary could essentially double the individual caps for that election. That would have really helped the wonderful and talented Amy Klobuchar build up her already impressive war chest to go against the Mark Kennedy GOP fundraising machine. Doran was Amy's biggest opposition, now we need to get Patty Wetterling to go back to the MN-06 race and then the DFL will be in business.

Greetings, and welcome to the brand new DFLblog. I, and some others, will work hard to produce thoughtful and insightful postings about various DFL races across the state. This will not be a GOP-smearing attack blog, although I may from time to time take some cheap shots, and they are mostly in good fun. Occasionally I will produce a grand conspiracy, ala MDE, and insist that it must be true unless the GOP can prove the universal negative. I'll be sure to put disclaimers up.

I should say that I really have no affiliation with the DFL party nor any campaign as of this time. I encourage the comments of folks visiting the site, but try to make them productive and on the topic at hand.

If you have any questions, comments, or anonymous tips (which would have to be confirmed before I post them), please feel free to e-mail me at: dflblog@gmail.com

~Toby