A Bluestem Prairie

Saturday morning news digest:penny pinchers' edition

The Red Wing Republican Eagle reports Sarvi sets his sights on Congress.  Sarvi is compared to Walz by DFLers, and today marks his first day as a fulltime candidate.  Go over to Steve's site and show him some greenback love. Consider volunteering.

One of the things Steve will need in Washington D.C. is the ability to pinch pennies, since the cost of living is among the highest in the nation. MinnPost's feature Political penny pinchers: Minnesota's congressional delegation tries to cut living expenses takes a look at the situation:

. . .Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Tim Walz and Michele Bachmann say they were blown away by real estate prices in Washington, where one-bedroom apartments start at $250,000 and rent averages at $1,100 a month.. . .

. . .In 2006, it cost about $80,000 a year to live in the DC metro area, while the cost of living hovered around half that in Minneapolis.

(The cost of living in Mankato is close to the metro average, a union friend who negotiates contracts in both places tell us.)

Cost cutting
Certainly, members of Congress make plenty of money. The salary for rank-and-file members is $169,300 this year, and that sum is annually adjusted to match the cost of living in Washington. (According to the U.S. Census Bureau [PDF], the median household income in the United States was $48,201 in 2006.)

Walz returned his raise to the U.S. Treasury

While no member of Minnesota's freshman class is poor — Klobuchar, Ellison and Bachmann all have law degrees, while Walz was a high school teacher — they're not independently wealthy like former Sens. Rudy Boschwitz or Mark Dayton, whose net worth was nearly $4 million in 2003. . . .

. . . The Minnesota delegation has also cultivated their own money saving techniques for living in the city. Like Ellison, Walz moved to an efficiency apartment after sharing a place with another member of Congress that cost as much as his mortgage in Minnesota and provided about a quarter of the space.

"It was a hole in the wall," he said.

Walz's assessment?  Typical Tim:

Walz says that all the annoyances that go along with being a member of Congress are "just part of the job."

Speaking of pennies, legislation to change the composition of metals in them is making its way through Congress; the Bush administration isn't happy with the measure. In To coin a phrase, live with it, the Mankato Free Press board gives the administration a thumbs down:

Thumbs down

To the U.S. Mint and the Bush administration for yet another attempted executive-branch power grab.

Article 2, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly gives Congress the power “to coin Money (and) regulate the value thereof.” Legislation that passed the House Thursday that would change the metallic composition of the penny and nickel — a measure intended to make it cheaper to make those small-denomination coins — is being opposed by the White House in part because it only allows the Treasury Department to suggest a specific composition rather than make the decision on its own.

The measure thus reserves to Congress a power the Constitution allots to Congress. The administration should live with that fact.

The Austin Daily News editorial board writes that The future of ethanol is more than just corn. The Fairmont Sentinel reports Coleman praises farm bill.

Speaking of the Farm Bill, our friend Bruce at the Minnesota Farmers Union (we're a member) sent us a press release praising the legislation:

Minnesota Farmers Union is pleased that the farm bill is moving forward.  It has been in the works for 2 years and on the verge of passing for over 7 months.  People from Farmers Union, in Minnesota and on the National level, have been fighting for our policies for a long time,” said Doug Peterson , Minnesota Farmers Union President.  “It is encouraging that items like Country-of-Origin-Labeling (COOL) implementation, and a funded permanent disaster assistance program, two Farmers Union priorities, are in the bill.”

“This is a great reform bill.  It offers balance on conservation and nutrition and reduces direct payments and offers better risk protection for farmers.  Real reform was achieved by eliminating the triple entity provision and requiring direct attribution for farm payments.”

“This bill also includes much needed funding for nutrition which was increased by $10.36 billion dollars. President Bush is still threatening a veto on this bill, however I think he would be hard-pressed to veto a reform bill that increases food and nutrition funding for the needy.”

Other Farmers Union policies included in the bill are:

$5 billion funded for a permanent disaster assistance program;

An increase of $10.3 billion for nutrition programs

Assistance to food banks increased by $1.25 billion

$365 million  for a fruit and vegetables program;

$1.1 billion for the renewable energy industry;

Creates a loan guarantee program to develop production of dedicated cellulosic energy crops;

Makes COOL implementation mandatory;

Imposes eligibility caps based on the level of farm income;

Increases funding for Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program to protect our natural resources;

$60 million to purchase food overseas to feed people in need;

For the first time there is a Livestock Title that includes non-binding arbitration, interstate shipment of meat, contract reforms and improvement of Packers & Stockyards Act;

Conservation funding increased by $6.6 billion;

7-state pilot program for fruits and vegetables directed at smaller farms and processors; and

Blenders credit for cellulosic ethanol from 51 cents to one dollar per gallon.

“I want to thank both National Farmers Union President Tom Buis and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson for working and fighting so hard for family farmers. I am optimistic that their hard work will pay off and this farm bill gets passed and signed by the President,” said MFU President Doug Peterson .

The farm bill is scheduled to be on the House and Senate floor Wednesday, May 14^th. It is not clear whether or not President Bush will sign the bill.  More details about the provisions of the bill will be available as it moves through the process.

Minnesota Farmers Union is a membership based organization that works to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life of family farmers and rural communities.

 

Friday news digest: the Colbert Bump and other media effects

Could the Colbert Bump help Harriet the eagle? The Rochester Post Bulletin reports that Wabasha bald eagle does the Capitol, Comedy Central. So she's learned to fly again, albeit on commercial airliners. First class or coach?

Congress adjourned early this morning.  DFL activists and Walz volunteers will be in the Rochesterfest Parade tonight.  Will the Congressman join them?

The PB's Austin calendar notes the mobile office stop in Austin next Wednesday.

A West Central Tribune report mentions the All Healthy Children Act, of which Walz is a co-sponsor.

The Huffington Post suggests Adding to the ranks of Iraq and Afghanistan Vets in Congress. Wlaz, who served in Italy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, is mentioned.

The Mankato Free Press editorial board criticizes some House Democratic leaders for attempting to back pedal on promises to disclose earmarks, but notes that Walz will be disclosing his list of earmarks today.

Given that he has been citing projects he's requested for the First for several weeks now, in press calls and other venues,  there should be no big surprises in the list.

Pesky College Students Alert: MN students against Trustless Trustee for those concerned about the pending appointment of the student representative for 4-yr MnSCU colleges.

And IDHA is back! With a post about the heart of the matter.

Friday rare bird edition: spotting Walz in the news

It looks like it'll be another beautiful day in southern Minnesota, where the spring migration is well under way.  For our afternoon birding we're torn between going to Olmsted County, where a scissor-tailed flycatcher has been spotted, to Fairbault County for a glimpse of long-tailed ducks, or to a WMA in Watonwan County, where a birder saw big-tailed grackles, according to the MOU's weekly RBA.  There's also a Western Tanager in Freeborn County.

This morning, though, we've scoured news sources and blogs for tales of MN-01's own good bird, Congressman Tim Walz. Fortunately for a Bluestem Prairie, Walz sightings are common, however rare a talent Rep. Walz may be.

The Mankato Free Press contrasts Walz's views on the Iraq War funding bill with those held by Senator Coleman in Coleman, Walz: Revisit Iraq issue in future:

Democratic Congressman Tim Walz and Republican Sen. Norm Coleman were on opposite sides of legislation Wednesday night and Thursday morning setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, but they agreed that the issue needs to be revisited in coming months.

The legislation to continue funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which passed the House Wednesday and the Senate Thursday, is certain to be vetoed by President George W. Bush because of his objection to the requirement that a draw-down of troops from Iraq begin by Oct. 1 if certain benchmarks are not met.

Following the veto, Walz said he will push for a funding bill that takes care of the needs of the troops for 90 days — forcing a review of the status of the war this summer. That sort of oversight is a crucial responsibility for members of Congress, particularly when the majority of the public and many foreign policy and military experts believe the war is going badly.

“It’s an absolute sacred duty to ask those questions,” said Walz, the first-term lawmaker and retired National Guard soldier.

Unlike Walz, Coleman voted against the legislation. But Coleman said that shouldn’t be interpreted as blind support for Bush or for the war.

“I’m not for an open-ended commitment. I’m not for a blank check,” Coleman said. “... We’re going to have to have a Plan B.”

Coleman visited Iraq last weekend and said there is some indication that a surge in U.S. troops ordered by Bush is helping in some regions of the war-torn country. And the surge deserves to be fully implemented before judgments are made about whether it can be successful.

Coleman, who faces reelection next year, also said that Americans need to think about the outcome if the Iraq war is lost. He envisions an emboldened al-Qaida that will be able to spread its anti-American movement to other parts of the Islamic world.

“Part of our responsibility is to talk about the consequences,” he said.

Walz said the Iraq war isn’t about defeating al-Qaida — it's a sectarian civil war that’s distracting America from the battle against al-Qaida. The legislation passed by Congress would provide U.S. generals leverage with Iraqi leaders as they attempt to force Iraqis to take more responsibility for ending the violence between different religious sects.

“This gives our generals in the field the ability to tell the Iraqis this is not an open-ended commitment,” Walz said.

Walz said he is pessimistic Bush will ever admit the war has become a quagmire and will never voluntarily agree to any accountability benchmarks from Congress.

“The president just refuses to face the reality,” said Walz, who believes Congress has a constitutional duty to continue pressuring the president to reconsider his strategy. “... The beauty of the country is that there’s three branches.” . . .

. . . .[Coleman] expects honest answers from Petraeus, who promised to provide an update for Congress in September, including a candid admission that the war is no longer winnable if he believes that.

Walz doesn’t expect to hear it if Petraeus ever reaches that conclusion.

“When the president disagrees with generals,” Walz said, “he just removes them.”

Our friends who are more politically connected than we are insist that articles pairing Walz and Coleman made the Senator nervous before speculation ended on a potential Walz bid for Senate.  Perhaps that's why Norm is now stressing nuance.

Norm wants to listen to the generals; the Washington Post reports that Army Officer Accuses Generals of 'Failures':

An active-duty Army officer is publishing a blistering attack on U.S. generals, saying they have botched the war in Iraq and misled Congress about the situation there.

"America's generals have repeated the mistakes of Vietnam in Iraq," charges Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, an Iraq veteran who is deputy commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "The intellectual and moral failures . . . constitute a crisis in American generals."

Yingling's comments are especially striking because his unit's performance in securing the northwestern Iraqi city of Tall Afar was cited by President Bush in a March 2006 speech and provided the model for the new security plan underway in Baghdad.

He also holds a high profile for a lieutenant colonel: He attended the Army's elite School for Advanced Military Studies and has written for one of the Army's top professional journals, Military Review.

The article, "General Failure," is to be published today in Armed Forces Journal and is posted at http://www.armedforcesjournal.com. Its appearance signals the public emergence of a split inside the military between younger, mid-career officers and the top brass.

Many majors and lieutenant colonels have privately expressed anger and frustration with the performance of Gen. Tommy R. Franks, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno and other top commanders in the war, calling them slow to grasp the realities of the war and overly optimistic in their assessments.

Meanwhile Fox News carries an Associated Press articles that is anything but nuanced in  New Congress: Campaigning Never Stops.  The article centers on Walz's DC roommate, iraq War vet Patrick Murphy. Walz gets a mention:

Recognizing both the vulnerabilities of the freshmen class and the freshness they brought to Washington as part of a new class, party leaders have put them out front on key issues. Murphy, along with Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz, another freshman military veteran, have helped lead the fight to withdraw troops from Iraq.  

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put a link on its Web site targeting six "Republican reruns" that press reports have indicated could be back in the race. Among them is former Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel in Indiana, who nearly beat Rep. Baron Hill in 2002, beat Hill in 2004, then lost to him in 2006.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who chairs the Democrats' campaign committee, said Republican challengers will have their work cut out for them.

"If the last election sent one clear message, it was people were tired, they were sick and tired of the Republican Congress and where they'd taken the country," he said.

The Republicans, who lost control of the House for the first time in 12 years, are already trying to shape their message for 2008 _ telling voters that Democrats have quickly shown they are not agents of change. They've sent out 1 million e-mails to 11 congressional districts to tell what they say is "The Real Democrat Story."

We're not sure which to appreciate more-- the GOP's misuse of adjectives as a campaign strategy,  or  Tim Walz's absence from that list of eleven targets. Oddly enough, given Fox News report's focus,  Patrick Murphy isn't on the list either.

In the New Ulm Journal, we spot Walz seeks incentives   for science, math teachers:

First District Congressman Tim Walz is going to push for passage of two bills that will not only try to get the “best and brightest” teaching mathematics and the sciences but also help young researchers make their marks early on.

Walz told Minnesota reporters during his weekly “call-in” news conference Thursday that the two bills “are important to me because they deal with teaching and innovation.”

The Democratic Congressman taught at Mankato West High School before being elected to Congress last November.

The bills are HR 362, “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act,” and HR 363, “Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act, and both are fresh out of the U.S. House of Representatives’ science committee, Walz said.

Walz thinks there's a special place for science and technology learning in the First, according to the Journal:

Walz sees the alternative energy source arena as a beneficiary of this effort to spur on scientific research, particularly among young researchers.

“I’m most proud that I see the First District of Minnesota playing a key role in this. We have, for example, the City of Austin [with its] new slogan which is ‘Grow Science, Grow Austin.’ Everyone is focusing on the things they can do in Austin to bring high-tech industry in to replace some of the industries that we’ve lost,” Walz explained.

“Things like the Hormel Institute and the world-leading research of cancer that is happening down in Austin are absolutely something we need to be incredibly proud of, and I’m hoping that both of these acts will continue to do that,” Walz said.

“I’m also seeing the renewable energy, of course. We’ve been a leader in that. We are the fourth largest wind-power producing Congressional district in America, and we’ve got sights on growing that significantly.”

2008 Challengers
One of Tim Walz's declared opponents, Dick Day, tells the Owatonna People's Press that he is simply against the idea of a minimum wage itself, period, in an article about the Ruby Tuesday franchise seeking a tip credit provision in Minnesota's state wage laws. 

Wings on the Prairie
Back to the rare birds. Windom's Cottonwood County Citizen reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will release Trumpeter Swans at the Wolf Lake WMA on May 5.

Hurried Thursday news digest

It's a busy day at work, so we'll post a few quick hits and be on our way. The Strib reports on yesterday's Iraq War vote in House: Begin troop pullout by Oct. 1 and Minnesota Democrats for, Republicans against pullout plan.  From the former article:

The House Wednesday night brushed aside weeks of angry White House rhetoric and veto threats to narrowly approve a $124 billion war spending bill that requires troop withdrawal from Iraq to begin by Oct. 1 with a goal of ending U.S. combat operations there by next March.

The Senate is expected to follow the House's 218-208 vote with final passage today, completing work on the rarest of bills: legislation to try to end a major war as fighting still rages. Democrats hope to send the measure to the White House on Monday, almost exactly four years after Bush declared an end to major combat. . . .

The West Central Tribune reports on the vote in Minnesota lawmakers divided on Iraq troop withdrawal.  Walz quoted in the Forum chain's article

The bill would hold both Bush and Iraqi leaders accountable and prevent the war from turning into an “open-ended commitment of American troops caught in the middle of a civil war,” said Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from southern Minnesota’s 1st District.

“The Bush administration has failed both to take care of our veterans and to hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it previously set,” Walz said Wednesday in a statement. “So today, Congress will ask the president to uphold his end of the bargain.”

The Washington Post reports Iraqi Divisions Stall Political Aims:

Officials see little or no progress in achieving three key benchmarks set by the Bush administration.

An Armenian news source notes Walz's presence at a ceremony remembering the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century.

Netroots: Minnesota's progressive bloggers respond to the New York Times article
Walz Right at Home in Times -- and Mankato (MNCR), NYTimes to Walz: You’re Awesome (MnPublius), Washington Walz In The New York Times (Mn GOP Watch), New York Times on Tim Walz the Educator (Vox Verax), politics { Walz (Cube Zoo), and Authenticity, links, and subpoenas (Norwegianity).  The Wege  adds:

And speaking of Bluestem, my understanding is they were strongly considered for a City Pages' blog award, but were just too far outside the metro area to win. Not to detract from Spotty, who puts a lot of work into his mixed doggy bag of a blog, but as a reminder that there are no shortage of quality lefty blogs around, even if we don't all have the Mr. Roboto audiences the wingnuts give to Powerblinders and the other big readership Minnesota rightwing blogs.

We'd have gone with the dalmatian, too, but what do hick bovine bloggers know?  (We'll buy the Wege ale, even if he did vote for Nader in 2000. Nobody's perfect).

MNspeak notes the NYT article in Walz: Better Debates in High School than Congress.

Cube Zoo publishes a note about civil liberties from the representative  in response/politics { Tim Walz responds to my email.

PBS Newshour: Senate vote on the war bill

Not much news about Congressman Walz today; the PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer did feature this exchange between the host and Mark Shields on March 23:

JIM LEHRER: Is the Senate -- now, the Senate is going to take this thing up, Mark.

MARK SHIELDS: OK.

JIM LEHRER: And if -- the Senate doesn't even have -- as I understand it, their resolution isn't even as binding as the House, right? In other words, isn't there...

MARK SHIELDS: No, that's right. They have a goal.

JIM LEHRER: They have a goal, not a binding date, and all that sort of stuff.

MARK SHIELDS: Rather than a timetable.

JIM LEHRER: So, where -- what does all this mean?

MARK SHIELDS: Well, what it means, Jim, is, for example, every freshman in the House of Representatives, Democrat, voted for it, OK? That's significant. That -- the election...

JIM LEHRER: Voted for the -- today's...

MARK SHIELDS: That's right.

JIM LEHRER: Yes. OK.

MARK SHIELDS: The election last week -- the election last November...

JIM LEHRER: Had consequences.

MARK SHIELDS: ... had consequences.

JIM LEHRER: All right.

MARK SHIELDS: There are five freshman who really played a prominent role in this, all of whom were military veterans, including Patrick Murphy, who was with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq. I mean, these were all -- Joe Sestak, a three-star admiral, freshman Democrat.

I mean all of them stood up. The highest ranked -- Tim Walz, the highest ranking enlisted man in the Congress ever, I mean a command sergeant major, I mean, they all stood up and made the case that, from the units with whom they have served, their colleagues, that they were doing the right thing.

New Ulm Journal editorial: Gonzales should resign
The Journal's editorial board looks at the United States attorney firings and concludes:

The whole affair has been handled stupidly. Gonzales should admit he has handled it badly, and resign.

Talk of the Nation: Tim Walz's DC roommate on Kosovo deployment

Tim Walz's DC roommate, Pennsylvania Representative Patrick Murphy, was a guest on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" on March 8; the focus was on Murphy's experience as a former soldier who had just been to Iraq:

Freshman Congressman Patrick Murphy has been on the job just two months, yet he's just back from a trip to Iraq to visit U.S. troops. It was a homecoming of sorts. Back in 2003-04 the Pennsylvania Democrat was a captain in the 82nd Airborne Division based in Baghdad. He's the only Iraq war veteran in Congress and a vocal opponent of President Bush's troop build up.

A question came in:

CONAN: All right. Find the right button, there we go. All right, we're talking with Congressman Patrick Murphy, the only Iraq war veteran currently serving in Congress. I should point also, at the age of 33, the youngest member of Congress. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

And let's see if we can get another caller on the line, and this is John(ph), John's with us from Salt Lake City.

JOHN (Caller): How are you doing?

CONAN: Very well, thanks.

JOHN: Good. In the past, the rules for deployments of National Guard required that National Guard soldiers not be deployed more than two years out of a five year period. Now, that was recently changed by Congress so that everybody's National Guard clock has been reset.

Anybody, regardless of how many times they've deployed, can now be called up again.

CONAN: Right.

JOHN: So as a National Guard soldier who's been over there twice already, two years since the war began, I'm a little disappointed to find out that my part- time job could jump up on me again.

CONAN: Yeah, the rules are being changed after you signed up.

JOHN: Exactly.

CONAN: Is that fair, Congressman Murphy?

Rep. MURPHY: I think that's absolutely [not] fair. John, you and I, you know, obviously served in the same military, same - we're both proud of our service. It's as if you're doing a physical training fitness test, and you're supposed to run two miles, and then you're getting to the two-mile marker, and they say now you need to run another mile, another three or four miles. And to say it's disheartening to you and to the families back home is really - it's crippling.

And John, I would like to mention my roommate here in Washington - I, you know, I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but I have a very, very small apartment here in Washington with a guy, Tim Walz, Congressman Tim Walz from the state of Minnesota. He was a command sergeant major in the Minnesota National Guard. And just yesterday, John, you wouldn't believe that a unit out of the Minnesota National Guard, who just came back from Iraq, got order[s] and said you are now going to Kosovo.

And not only were they going to Kosovo, but they're going to Kosovo and now not getting the combat, the deployment pay, that everyone else gets. And you look at what the State Department is doing, the State Department has people in Kosovo, they give combat pay, and they don't even give our own soldiers now combat pay. You know, it's kind of doing it on the cheap.

Now, I came down here to Congress to make sure that we're protecting troops, to make sure that we're doing everything possible to support the troops and being smart about things. And what's not being smart about it is saying to some private in the Minnesota National Guard: Thanks for your service in Iraq. You're [now] going to Kosovo, and even though you're only making $19,000 a year, and when you get deployed you get at least tax-free benefits - now we're going to tax your pay, you know, probably a third, where you're going to make now about $14,000 a year, serving in a place like Kosovo where you can't walk on the grass because there are still mines - but our military will say it's not a combat to where it's not really a deployment anymore.

That's what's wrong with the current policies that are in effect right now. And guys like Tim Walz and myself will go to the mat for every single soldier, whether they're active duty, National Guard or reservists - every single day when we're down here.

CONAN: John, thanks very much for the call. Good luck to you.

JOHN: Thank you.

Source: Nexis News Transcripts.

Friday morning digest: "I didn't come to sit on the back bench of Congress"

Winona Daily News: Not sitting on the back bench
The Winona Daily News' Brian Voerding reports that Walz looks for Iraq answers:

Rep. Tim Walz has no illusions that a simple resolution could end the Iraq war, a conflict nearing the start of its fifth year.

Still, he says, it’s a long overdue and necessary first step toward Congress asserting its power in governing the conflict, and toward allowing soldiers to return home.

The freshman Democrat who represents southern Minnesota is one of hundreds of House members backing a resolution that opposes President George W. Bush’s choice to send additional troops to Iraq. The House began debating the resolution this week and is scheduled to vote on it sometime today. . . .

The article notes Walz's leadership in Washington:

. . . Walz, a former command sergeant major in the National Guard, used the war in Iraq as a defining wedge issue in last year’s campaign in which he defeated six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht. He delivered three speeches on the House floor this week and has been a leading Democrat in pushing the resolution.

“I didn’t come to sit on the back bench of Congress,” he said in a conference call Thursday. “I came to speak where I saw it necessary. Minnesota doesn’t want a follower or a sheep; they want a leader.”

Still, he said, he hasn’t spent much time calculating the politics or possible risks of publicity. Instead, he went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center Wednesday to visit two soldiers from his former unit who were injured in Iraq and are getting fitted for prosthetic limbs.

“I don’t know and I don’t care about their political ideology, and I only care that this nation honors its commitment by providing everything possible for these brave Americans,” Walz said of them in his Thursday floor speech. “Today is the day we tell Tony and John that we will always support you and we will provide this nation true security.“ . . .

Voerding notes Walz's response to questions about Al Franken's U.S. Senate bid:

. . .“I’ve seen him in the unguarded moments, and I see that Al cares about the things that Minnesotans care about,” Walz said, referring to early opposition that has described Franken as a media darling who isn’t tuned into voter concerns. “You’ll see a very energetic, caring guy who really wants this job for the right reasons.”

Franken was a valuable part of Walz’s Congressional bid, appearing several times in Winona and other cities last year for fundraisers and stump speeches and donating more than $18,000 to the campaign.

“He was there many, many times at the time when no one else believed,” Walz said.

Walz stopped short of endorsing Franken; he said he would hedge his decision until the Democratic primary and let “people of my district make up their mind.”  . . .

Ollie Ox Update: Minnesota Max's diary about the article at Minnesota Campaign Report.  Max is a college student from Winona. [/update]

Star Tribune: Minnesota's 3 newcomers speak up
The Strib's Brady Averill looks at yesterday's speeches by Ellison, Bachmann, and Walz.  Excerpt from Walz's speech:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said he has taken two oaths in his life -- one as a 17-year-old when he joined the Army National Guard and one as a 42-year-old when he became a congressman. "I swore only to uphold the laws of this great land and protect with my life if necessary the liberties and freedoms we so dearly cherish," he said. "This debate today is exactly about that."

Minnesota's three newcomers spoke on the House floor Thursday to argue their positions on the Iraq resolution, which expresses disapproval with President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

The resolution is expected to pass the House today with support from some Republicans, including Minnesota Rep. Jim Ramstad.

Averill notes' Walz's response to those who fret about sending the wrong message to America's enemies:

Walz said he agrees with some lawmakers who have said the debate sends a message to enemies: "The message our enemy is hearing this week is that this nation is able and willing to adjust its tactics to focus on the true threats of our security, which come from Al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and by securing our ports and borders."

Walz also appeared Thursday at a news conference with like-minded lawmakers and VoteVets.org, a political action committee whose goal is to elect to Congress war veterans who are critical of the war in Iraq.

New York Times' The Caucus: The Senate Set for War on Saturday
Tim Walz is quoted in the House side of the entry about the Senate vote scheduled for Saturday:

In addition, at another news conference today — yes, yes, it’s all war all the time — the VoteVets.org contingent, a largely Democrat-based group of veterans, joined with several lawmakers to talk about the House resolution.

Representative Tim Walz hailed the measure’s “historical significance.” It would be the “most important vote in the House since the vote for use of force,” said Jon Soltz, the cofounder and chairman of VoteVets, which has been working with MoveOn and the Center for American Progress.

O.K., so it’s a big deal. But would it actually make a difference?

“We expect from this vote a change in the policy,” declared Representative Tom Lantos, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the only non-veteran at the presser. He bristled at a question referring to the “nonbinding resolution.”

“Nothing could be more binding than the solemn vote of the entire House of Representatives,” Mr. Lantos said. “I am tired of this adjective.”

Mr. Walz and Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat and a veteran elected in November, would not say whether they supported some of Mr. Murtha’s possible conditions, such as attaching to spending bills requirements for requiring certain armor and equipment for the troops.

They said they were focusing on the next day’s vote and that other questions were a distraction.

“I believe they will be conditions that the majority of the House will support,” Mr. Lantos said. But, “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He said he would hold a full day of hearings about other Iraq-related measures during the first week of March.

City Pages Blotter: Walz raises concerns about funding for VA medical care
Corey Anderson takes a look at Walz's testimon about veterans' issues before the Budget Committee in Congressman Walz raises concerns about funding for VA medical care:

Freshman Congressman Tim Walz from the First District yesterday delivered testimony in front of the House Budget Committee regarding the Bush Administration's budget proposals on veterans' programs. The 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard and son of a Korean War veteran, Walz raised numerous concerns about the shortfalls he sees in the funding of VA clinics and hospitals and the proposed enrollment fees that would affect those most in need of care. . . .

The text of the testimony is included in the article.

CQPolitics: DCCC Announces Its 'Frontline' Seats for 2008
CQPolitics' Marie Horrigan examines the list in DCCC Announces Its 'Frontline' Seats for 2008:

Given the frantic pace at which presidential and congressional campaigning has taken off in the earliest weeks of the 2007-08 cycle, it comes as no surprise that Democratic strategists are front-loading their program as well.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday — just a little less than 21 months from Election Day in November 2008 — announced the names of the first 29 House Democrats who will benefit from the program, which steers additional financial and logistical resources to incumbents viewed as potentially vulnerable to serious Republican challenges.

The group of 29 includes 24 freshman members of the Democrats’ sizable House Class of 2006. Second-term Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a rising star in House Democratic ranks who is chairing the

program for this election cycle, referred to the beneficiaries as “majority-makers” — a reference to their contribution to the 30-seat gain that gave the party control of the House after a dozen years in the minority. Wasserman-Schultz said the program would provide “the money, message and strategy they need to successfully position themselves for re-election in 2008.”

The candidates include 18 freshmen members of Congress who unseated Republicans (including two former House members making comebacks after losing their seats under differing circumstances in 2004); six Democrats who won open-seat races in districts formerly covered by Republicans (including two more returning members who bounced back from 2004 losses); and five Democratic incumbents who won re-election last year by varying margins. . . .               

Go read the rest. Tim Walz is included in the group.

Netroots response at the Swing State Project, Jonathan Singer at MyDD, and KTatActBlue at DailyKos. Act Blue has set up a DCCC Frontline Democrats 2008 page for contributions that will go directly to the candidates of the contributor's choice. We will add the link to our ActBlue section in the menu on the right.  The DCCC's Stakeholder writeup here.

Chris Cillizza discusses the program at the WaPo's The Fix in House Democrats Reveal Their "Frontline":

In the 2006 election, Democrats didn't lose a single House member to defeat, an unblemished record that was credited to a program aimed at funneling funds to endangered incumbents early and often.

Known as "Frontline," the program was so effective at helping otherwise endangered incumbents that is allowed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to play offense in a number of GOP-held seats that wound up turning over. Pennsylvania's 4th District, New Hampshire's 2nd District and Minnesota's 1st District jump to mind.

Given the successes of Frontline in 2006, it's not surprising that Democrats are quickly reviving the program for 2008. Today the DCCC released the names of the 29 lawmakers who are on the Frontline list -- a first glance at the lawmakers considered by their own party to be most at-risk of losing next year. . . .

 

Tim Walz's February 15, 2007 statement

As part of the ongoing floor debate on the Iraq War resolution, Rep. Tim Walz delivered the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives:

"No debate in this house has been longer overdue.  This debate has been going on for nearly four years in homes, work places, grocery stores, and houses of worship all over America.  No greater responsibility rests with us, the people's representatives, than debating the decisions involved in waging a war. The decision to send our brave women and men into combat is not the end of our responsibility, but rather the beginning of it. This body has a sacred duty to protect this nation, our citizens, and especially those we send into combat in our name.  Constant vigilance, questioning, and adjustments to courses of action are our number one priority and this newly elected Congress intends to do just that.

Some have said that this debate "sends a message to our enemies", and I would agree.  The message they are hearing this week is that democracy in America is alive and well.  The message they are hearing is that this nation will not live in fear of its own shadow and blindly give away those precious liberties that make this the greatest nation the world has ever known.  The message they are hearing is that this nation is able and willing to adjust its tactics to focus on the true threats to our security which come from al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and by securing our ports and borders.  The message they are hearing is that this nation is no longer willing to wage war based on ideology and failed policy, but will now wage it based on facts and reality.

Many of my colleagues have spoken of the need to support our troops.  On this point you will get no debate from me or any other American citizen.  By implying that some don't support the troops based on nothing more than political posturing is cynical and divisive.  For more than two decades I served in our Armed Forces and worked with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from all walks of life.  Not once did I see these brave men and women as anything but patriots.  Not once did I view them as Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, or any other political name nor did they view me as anything other than a soldier. 

The issue we are debating this week is the execution of this war and the failure of this administration to provide a realistic plan for success.  From the start of this war up to this recent plan to send more Americans into Baghdad this administration has miscalculated, poorly planned, shifted blame, and failed to couple our military policies with diplomatic, economic, and the long range strategic planning that would have given our brave soldiers a plan for success. Had the previous Congress done its constitutional duty of oversight and accountability there is a strong likelihood we would be in much better position than we are today.  Even as foreign policy experts, military experts, Congress, and the American public show an overwhelming desire to change course and oppose this escalation, this administration ignores all evidence and stumbles on.  This debate marks the beginning of this new Congresses acceptance of our duty to provide that oversight and bring about policy changes based in reality, facts, and long range security needs of this nation.

I have taken two oaths in my life.  The first was as a 17 year old young man and that was the oath taken as I joined the Army National Guard.  The second was as a 42 year older man and that was when I became a United States Congressman.  In both cases I solemnly swore my allegiance to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.  I swore no allegiance to any man.  I swore no allegiance to any political ideology.  I swore only to uphold the laws of this great land and protect with my life the liberties and freedoms we so dearly cherish. This debate today is about exactly that oath.  Previous congresses gave the president the authority to conduct this war in Iraq, not the authority to disregard expert advice, not the authority to take civil liberties from American citizens, not the authority to disregard our constitutional right as a co-equal branch of government.  I, like all Americans, wish that this president had made good decisions and that the situation in Iraq was better.  Unfortunately, wishful thinking does not make good foreign policy.  Fortunately the genius of our founders is once again on display in this debate.  This congress, by taking this first step of oversight and accountability and passing this resolution, will begin to right the ship and take this country on a path that will lead to greater security and begin to return our brave men and women back to their families.

Yesterday I visited with two soldiers from my old unit, The 34^th Red Bull Division.  These two young men are at Walter Reed Army Hospital.  Both John and Tony are being fitted with prosthetic limbs for those that they left behind in Iraq.  We spoke of everything from how they were injured, to football, and their desire to ski again.  I don't know and I don't care about their political ideology and I only care that this nation honors its commitment by providing everything possible for these brave Americans.  Today is the day we tell Tony and John that we will always support you and we will provide this nation true security."

The Hill: Walz and Murphy, roommates trying to find a balance

The Hill has published a human interest story about Pennsylvania's freshman congressman Pat Murphy, who says ‘I am still trying to find a balance.     Murphy and Walz are roommates:

House Democratic leaders Tuesday turned to a group of lawmakers with military experience to start debate on the Iraq resolution, including Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.).The toughest part about being in Congress for most members is the constant travel away from home. During the campaign, Murphy married his girlfriend, Jennifer. They had a baby girl, Maggie, on Nov. 24, 2006.

Referencing his experience as an Army captain serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad for six months in 2003, the 33-year-old lawmaker nodded toward the Vietnam Memorial.

“[Half] of the soldiers listed on that wall died after America’s leaders knew our strategy wouldn’t work,” Murphy said on the House floor. “It was immoral then and it would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion … sending more troops into a civil war is the wrong strategy.”

Murphy’s remarks were showcased Tuesday in network evening news broadcasts and above the fold in his hometown newspaper.

The narrative arc of Murphy’s rise from obscure candidate to prominent freshman Democrat has been swift. He started as an unknown candidate, cold-calling Philadelphia Democratic Party barons to get their support.

He overcame disorganization among his campaign staff and a GOP-backed, $1 million negative advertising campaign. While many Democrats with military backgrounds lost in 2006, Murphy won in the most competitive area in the country. . . ..

. . . “It’s the little things like that. I miss my dog,” he said. “I’m lucky that my wife and daughter can come down here and that I’m only three hours away.”

In Washington, he rents a room from Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) on D Street near the Capitol. Walz, like Murphy, has a new baby, a boy named Gus.

They first met last August at a fundraiser for veterans on Long Island. Walz had heard about Murphy, who organized veterans for Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) presidential campaign.

“Man, this guy is young and he looks young, too,” Walz remembered thinking. “But he’s older than his years [because] he’s got that real steady, piercing gaze.”

Walz, a National Guardsman and high school teacher, does not cook; Murphy keeps a stocked kitchen. Over Super Bowl weekend, Walz raided Murphy’s stock of Hot Pockets.

Both men speak highly of each other, but they rarely cross paths. Walz said he is out the door at 6 a.m. to hit the gym; Murphy keeps promising to tag along but keeps later hours and sleeps in.

“I was there once, late at night,” Murphy said. “I am still trying to find a balance.”

Hot Pockets?  Well, nobody's perfect.

Rep. Patrick Murphy in The Hill Blog: Veterans Open Iraq Debate

On The Hill Blog, Pennsylvania Representative Pat Murphy blogs about the Iraq resolution debate:

I was honored to be part of the opening statements. The Rules Committee asked three of us to speak, and three veterans. I think it is important to note that there are forty nine new faces in Congress, but there are five new veterans. Every single one of the veterans that are new to Congress is a Democrat.

I stood there with two other ones: Joe Sestak from Pennsylvania—Admiral Sestak—a guy who was responsible for thirty ships and fifteen thousand salaries of marines, and Sgt. Major Tim Walz from the Army National Guard in Minnesota for 24 years, the backbone of the Army. That was the opening statement to make sure we were clear on how important this was.

Mankato Free Press Thumbs Up: Congressman Tim Walz

The Mankato Free Press's editorial board gives Representative Tim Walz a boost:

Thumbs up

To 1st District Congressman Tim Walz for having the guts to take political risks before he ever sat down for the first time in the House chamber.

Walz told The Associated Press he’s going to scrutinize the $100 billion request the Bush administration has made to continue fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Walz acknowledged the political opponents will use any potential opposition to this spending against him in a re-election bid. He acknowledged the smear campaigners may likely try to paint him as “not supporting the troops.”

But as Walz said, “I think I was sent here with a message to ask the questions about Iraq. Obviously that’s Congress’ main role.”

It’s refreshing to see the so called “inexperienced” politician in Walz take political risks longtime veterans of politics are afraid to take. Maybe that’s why he’s there in the first place.

Austin Daily Herald: Former senator, war hero backs Walz in Austin

The Austin Daily Herald reports on Tuesday's rousing campaign stop by Walz and Cleland.

Bring on the heavy hitters

Former senator, war hero backs Walz in Austin

By Lee Bonorden/Austin Daily Herald

There are 27 days to go before the Tuesday, Nov. 7, State General Election and Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District is a “swing district.”

It could go either way: retained by five-term Congressman Gil Gutknecht, the Republican, or taken over by Tim Walz, the Democrat, one of the office-seekers said Tuesday night.

“It’s our time,” Walz said.

Gutknecht’s close alliance with the Bush Administration, voting record, and his pledge when first elected not to serve more than five terms make him vulnerable, according to the Democrat.

The war in Iraq, tax cuts for the wealthy, out-sourcing of jobs and now explicit e-mails sent by Florida Rep. Mark Foley — the list of GOP problems grows, it seems, without end.

No wonder Walz, a Mankato teacher and a retired National Guard veteran, sounded buoyant.

And no wonder a former Vietnam War hero and unabashed champion for the nation’s soldiers and veterans came to Minnesota to campaign for Walz.

Max attacks for veterans, American dream

“There are 35 veterans running for Congress: 34 of whom are Democrats. We are going to see some good veterans elected to Congress like Tim Walz,” said former U.S senator from Georgia Max Cleland. “They understand what it’s like to go to war. They understand the need to take care of the troops. They understand what protecting this country is all about. They understand this country is built on the American dream.

“Tim understands you have to protect those who are weak, like the elderly with Social Security and Medicare. You have to give encouragement to the young. He’s been a teacher. You have to give them the opportunities that he and his generation had. That’s what it’s all about. You have to keep perpetuating the American dream,” Cleland said. “The Republicans have turned the American dream into an American nightmare and they have become an embarrassment to this nation at every level. We’re on the wrong course and when the President says we should stay the course, that’s insanity. The classic definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.”

That was just a sample of Cleland’s non-stop exhortations to Democrats at Tuesday night’s Mower County DFL Party fund-raiser for Walz at the Austin American Legion Post.

When Cleland was introduced as the guest speaker, it got better. More jokes, more profundities, more anecdotes, more history, more facts, more of everything the DFLers wanted to hear.

Cleland attracted several standing ovations for his remarks Tuesday night.

Veterans hugged him as one of their own. He signed autographs and posed for pictures, too.

Austin was the last in a grueling day of campaign stops all over the 1st District. Cleland, a triple amputee from injuries suffered in the Vietnam War, could have been excused for speaking less, but he kept his energy level high.

“Tim’s race here is very specific,” he said. “It’s not a question of right and left or right-wing versus left-wing. It’s a question of right versus wrong. A question of staying the course to disaster or charting a new curse. Tim Walz will do that for America.”

[snip]

Dale Chidester, chairman of the Mower County DFL Party, said the 1st District race was a “horse race.”

Walz announced the pollsters’ gap between him and Gutknecht has continued to narrow and that his campaign has received an infusion of money.

It was hard to follow Cleland’s stirring speech, but Walz did his best.

Getting out the Democratic vote in the 1st District is a key to his campaign, and Walz said Owatonna and Austin are essential. “We need to have a voter turnout like we’ve never seen in Austin,” he said. “This town is full of Democrats.

“I refuse to lose this race because we didn’t work hard enough,” he said. “We can win it together.”

The next 27 days will tell.

From MN-01 newspapers: Cleland campaigns for Walz

Today's New York Times contains an article about soaring disability rates among Iraq and Afghanistan war vets in "Data Suggests Vast Costs Loom in Disability Claims."  It's a grim read, including this paragraph:

The number of veterans granted disability compensation, more than 100,000 to date, suggests that taxpayers have only begun to pay the long-term financial cost of the two conflicts. About 567,000 of the 1.5 million American troops who have served so far have been discharged

The news underscores Tim Walz's ability to chose issues that matter. For the 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, choosing issues that matter is more than a campaign slogan.

Yesterday, former Senator and VA head Max Cleland campaigned for Tim Walz. The tour of southern Minnesota started in North Mankato. The Free Press reports:

Cleland considers Walz 'one of best in country'

Mark Fischenich
The Free Press

NORTH MANKATO— Vietnam veteran and former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia likes congressional candidate Tim Walz and likes his chances to pull off a surprise victory over six-term incumbent Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.

Cleland proved that Tuesday with a sunrise-to-sundown day of campaigning across southern Minnesota. Cleland combined praise for Walz with condemnation of the performance of Republicans controlling Washington and mixed in a good dose of humor for the Democratic activists turning out to meet him.

After donning a gold/orange “Another veteran for Walz” T-shirt, the triple amputee started the day in North Mankato with a self-deprecating joke.

“In the spirit of the occasion, I came dressed as the Great Pumpkin,” said Cleland, who lost his right arm and both legs to an American grenade while heading out on a combat mission in Vietnam.

He was introduced with a heavy emphasis on his status as a war hero, having won the Silver Star for exposing himself to enemy fire while he administered first aid to injured troops and helped get them to safety. But again, Cleland responded with a joke.

“I want all of you to know, I didn’t really get wounded in Vietnam,” he said. “I just went duck hunting with Dick Cheney.”

While he continued to toss in jokes during a 15-minute speech to 50 or so Walz supporters at the 7:30 a.m. event, Cleland was deadly serious when talking about the injured soldiers returning from the Iraq war and the failure of the federal government to provide them with the health care they earned through their military service.

“That’s Vietnam all over again,” Cleland said of the current war. “I’ve been there, and I have a few holes in my T-shirt to prove it. We never wanted to see it again, and that’s what’s tearing me up about this.”

Cleland was harshly critical of the Bush administration, echoing comments he made two years ago when he visited Mankato as part of a months-long effort to help Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. He denounced the “chicken hawks” in the administration who avoided service in Vietnam but were quick to send another generation of young people into war without a strategy for victory or for how to exit.

“You can’t leave the American military out twisting in the wind, and that’s what this president is doing,” Cleland said.

He said too many veterans of the war are being poorly served when they return because the Republican Congress has severely underfunded the Department of Veterans Affairs, which Cleland headed during the Carter administration. Only 28 percent of members of today’s Congress have served in the military, Cleland said.

Walz, who spent more than two decades in the Army National Guard and rose to the rank of command sergeant major, can be counted on to look after veterans, Cleland said.

“Tim is my brother and my friend,” he said. “He’s worn the uniform. He’s dedicated his life to taking care of the troops and educating young people.”

Cleland visited Walz nearly a year ago for a fund-raiser followed by a private visit by the pair to the Minneapolis VA hospital to meet with wounded Iraq war veterans.

“I came here a year ago when he didn’t have a prayer,” Cleland said of Walz. “Now, he’s going to win. ... Tim has become one of the best in the country.”

Cleland is campaigning for several congressional candidates, mostly military veterans running against Republican incumbents, but Walz was thrilled to have him from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. — including events in Waseca, Winona and Austin.

“It means a lot,” Walz said. “... Max believes in me personally. And he believes in Minnesota, that Minnesota will make the right decision.”

Gutknecht campaign spokesman Bryan Anderson said Gutknecht made clear following a trip to Iraq last summer that he believes the war can’t continue on the present course. Gutknecht supports a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops to spur Iraqis to take more control over the nation’s security.

Anderson also said that overall funding for veterans’ health care has increased substantially since Gutknecht was first elected.

“I suppose some would argue that more could be done,” Anderson said. “But Congress has done a good job of taking care of veterans who have been wounded.”

It's good that Gil has Wikipedia-tweaker Bryan Anderson serving as his spokesman. Who else could utter the phrase "Congress has done a good job of taking care of veterans who have been wounded" when first district's voters have gotten a chance to read editorials like this one in the New Ulm Journal about slashing funds for traumatic brain injury care?:

But this case also demonstrates in stark fashion that, tempting as it may be to chuckle at the most egregious pork-barrel spending, there is a cost to reckless, irresponsible treasury raiding. Both major political parties are at fault, but the GOP, which not so long ago billed itself as the party of fiscal responsibility, is in the majority and controls the agenda. Its leaders need to reacquaint themselves with the principles they rode to power.

The shameful behavior involving the brain injury program at Walter Reed is not, sad to say, the only situation in which Congress has let our troops down. In addition to restoring money for the brain injury program, lawmakers should take a soul-searching look at other appropriations intended to serve both active-duty and retired members of the military.

The Waseca County News online leads with a great picture.

The Winona Daily News also carries news of the Cleland visit in "Former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland in town campaigning for Walz":

By Chris Hubbuch | Winona Daily News

The November congressional elections are not about right and left wing politics, but about right and wrong, former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland said Tuesday.

The Georgia Democrat stopped in Winona on behalf of U.S. congressional candidate Tim Walz, the Mankato school teacher and National Guard veteran who is challenging six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht for Minnesota’s first district.

Cleland, a decorated Army veteran who lost three limbs in Vietnam, wore a yellow T-shirt that proclaimed him “Another Veteran for Walz.” He said he is campaigning for about 30 Democratic Congressional candidates known as the “fighting dems” — most of them Iraq, Persian Gulf and Vietnam veterans.

“This country is on the wrong path,” Cleland said to the crowd of about 80, including 15 veterans seated at the front of the American Legion Hall. “The only way to fix it is new leadership.”

Cleland blasted the Bush administration for not having a strategy to win the war in Iraq and Congress for not supporting the troops when they return. The military is stretched thin in a war it can’t win, he said; instead the government should focus on capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and adequately funding the Veterans Administration.

Bryan Anderson, a spokesperson for Gutknecht’s campaign, said the Rochester Republican supports gradually allowing Iraqis to take control of their own security and that in the 12 years Gutknecht has served, Congress has nearly doubled funding for veterans’ medical care.

“(Gutknecht) doesn’t understand Iraq,” said Walz, 44, who retired in 2005 as a Command Sergeant Major after 24 years in the National Guard.

He promised to work for easier access to health care and higher education, to protect pensions and to support veterans.

“We’re not about yellow ribbons on cars,” he said. “We’re about passing legislation.”

Cleland, 64, served as head of the federal Veterans Administration in the 1970s. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 and defeated in his bid for a second term in 2002 in a race where his opponent ran ads questioning Cleland’s patriotism.

Leigh Pomeroy at Minnesota Monitor reports from the North Mankato event. He includes Walz's off-the-cuff remarks about internal polling.  There's a reason Cleland's so upbeat and funny, telling the Free Press:

“I came here a year ago when he didn’t have a prayer,” Cleland said of Walz. “Now, he’s going to win. ... Tim has become one of the best in the country.”

Meanwhile, Gutknecht was out in the Worthington area, praising wind energy (which resembles praising apple pie in that everybody wants a piece).  He did share some choice words about the Iraq War with the Worthington Daily Globe:

Additionally, Gutknecht spoke of positive changes in Iraq, such as a new police patrol unit composed of 10 Iraqis and two Americans that he said signifies a slow scaling back of U.S. presence.

“It may seem it’s at a glacial speed, but we are turning more responsibility in policing the streets back to the Iraqis,” he said.

Positive changes in Iraq? One police unit?

Does that progress cancel out the dozens of bodies found in Baghdad yesterday, the poisoning of hundreds of police, or the brigade of Iraqi police removed from the streets of Baghdad because it was complicit with Shiite death squads? Does it negate this report compiled by Iraqi and American public health experts?  Perhaps Gutknecht is too busy dealing with urgent matters like this to find out.

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Star Tribune: "First District: Gutknecht, Walz square off on issues"

The Star Tribune sent Bob Von Sternberg down to Owatonna to cover today's Owatonna debate. Although the paper calls this the candidates' second one-to-one encounter, it's actually the third, after the Farmers Union sponsored debate at the Steele County Free Fair and the Rochester Chamber of Commerce debate.  We were happy to see the race has been bumped back up into the top forty:

In a closely watched race, the challenger is using his military service in the Mideast as a springboard to politics.

OWATONNA - War, the economy, tax cuts, health care and the general state of the American community were batted back and forth Monday afternoon by the candidates for Minnesota's First Congressional District seat.

In their second one-on-one face-off of the fall campaign, Rep. Gil Gutnecht and Tim Walz, his DFL challenger, debated, mostly cordially, for an hour in front of an audience of more than 100 Owatonna civic leaders.

"I really don't think I've changed much since you sent me to Washington," said Gutknecht, who is serving his sixth House term. "We have a conflict of visions ... but I really am an optimist."

Walz, a political neophyte who is a teacher in Mankato and served more than two decades in the National Guard, told listeners, "We have a golden opportunity this fall to test what this country was founded on. We're divided and we see a Congress that has put its priorities in ways that are baffling to the average person."

The First District race has generated buzz nationally in part because Walz is one of a handful of veterans who served during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are using their service as a springboard to electoral politics. In addition, several national political handicapping publications have identified Gutknecht as potentially vulnerable. The race is the 39th hottest House race in the nation, according to the latest rankings by the National Journal.

On Monday, Gutknecht and Walz drew the sharpest distinctions over the conduct of the war in Iraq.

"If you change Congress, you'll change the course of the war," Walz said. "If not, it will be more of the same. Wishful thinking and hoping will not get the job done."

Gutknecht, who this summer caused a stir by calling for a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, said "we do have to change course and turn responsibility back to the Iraqis."The standing up part is more difficult than just saying it," Walz replied. "This thing needs to be taken to a diplomatic level."

Addressing the topic of treatment of military detainees and the Geneva Convention, Walz called revelations about abuse by American troops "the most shameful chapter in our history."

Gutknecht said he doesn't "believe in torture, either ... but let's understand [that] these people don't play by Geneva Convention rules."

While Gutknecht said the Bush administration's tax cuts have spawned prosperity, Walz said they have benefited only the very richest Americans. Gutknecht said Walz would raise taxes, while Walz said he would roll back the cuts at the top of the income scale.

Both called for the nation's energy independence, though they varied on the means to achieve that. Neither was enthusiastic about the federal No Child Left Behind law.

"There is too much heavy-handedness by the federal government," Gutknecht said.

"It erodes local control," Walz said.

More debates are planned.

But not, obviously, the debate that the League of Women Voters and Hubbard Broadcasting would have televised.

OLLIE OX UPDATE: The AP Wire picks up the debate story.  Here's the versionpublished in the San Jose Mercury News.

MANKATO FREE PRESS: A student and soldier writes; new Walz ad

It's a gorgeous autumn day on the prairie, with signs of fall everywhere.  The male goldfinches that come to our thistle feeder have traded their lovely yellow feathers for winter drab, and wild purple asters are in bloom.  We're going mushroom hunting as soon as this post is up. Perhaps the recent "duck-hunting weather" will return for the hunters among us once the waterfowl season opens next Saturday.

Today's Mankato Free Press yields a bounty of election-related material, though none online.  We'll transcribe the best.

LTE: "WALZ HAS SHOWN LEADERSHIP AS TEACHER, COACH, SOLDIER"
Sargeant Ryan Marti of St. Peter writes in support of Walz's candidacy.  His words echo what other National Guard soldiers and former Walz students have told us ( they're usually not aware of our life as a blogger):

I've known Tim Walz as a teacher, a coach and leader. I've had the privilege  of sitting in his classroom, running up and down the football field, and serving our nation under his leadership.

I am on deployment to Iraq.

Many of my fellow soldiers and former classmates have shown their support for Walz and I feel I must do the same.

In his classroom, Walz challenged us to think openly and consider all points of view. He taught us stand in the other person's shoes and to try and see the issue from their perspective.

Isn't this exactly what we want in a leader? Someone who will listen to everyone and make the right decision?

On the football field he continued to teach. He taught us that teamwork, discipline and hard work is the key to winning. Without having to be told, we knew it was OK to make a mistake, we also knew it was never OK to break a rule even if we got away with it.

Walz will do the right thing the right way. He will not cheat. I'm not saying that the other guy will or won't--I just know that Walz will be honest and true.

After high school Walz convinced me to join the National Guard. I still had more lessons to learn.  Walz taught me what it takes to be a good leader, and I owe my leadership success to him.

Walz was an excellent soldier and is a natural leader, and nobody except those who have served with him, have the right to question his service.  It says something about a man's character when everyone who has served with him respects him.

OLLIE OX UPDATE: Ryan Marti's letter is now online.

MANKATO FREE PRESS: "WALZ AD TACKLES HIS PAST AS A COACH"
Good news and mixed in an article on the first page of the B-section of the MFP.  "Walz as tackles his past as coach" looks at the ad that's getting so much praise online. Mark Fischenich reports:

Some Mankato residents--particularly former West High School football players--are likely getting a kick out of the latest Tim Walz for Congress television commercial, regardless of whether they prefer Walz or Congressman Gil Gutknecht on Nov. 7.

Titled "Everyday Heroes," the second Walz ad focuses on his work as a teacher and football coach at West and his service in theArmy National Guard.

There are numerous opportunities for area resident to say, "Hey, look! isn't that....?" as the ad shows Walz with Scarlet footbal players, including the 1999 championship team.  . . .

It's not just a Mankato-based ad, however. For Rochester residents, the ad concludes with Tim Walz speaking to the viewer from that city's War Memorial.

Fischenich then notes that the Walz-Gutknecht race "continues to be listed in the top ten or 20 percent of races for competitiveness" but has slipped in the "National Journal's rankings of House seats most likely to switch from Republican to Democratic control or vices versa.  The reporter also notes that Walz received "kind words" by being put on the "emerging races" list by the DCCC, but missed getting the "Red to Blue" designation and the resources that would entail.

MANKATO FREE PRESS: CONGRESS FAILS ON FUNDING
Yesterday, he editors of the Mankato Free Press take a dim view of several new unfunded mandates in "Congress Fails in Funding:"

Thumbs down

To Congress, both houses, for approving this week immigration-related measures but failing to provide any funding.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 228-196 to approve a new law that would require voters in federal elections to provide a photo ID.

The bill requires states to help poor people who don’t have photo IDs get them, but appropriates no money for the mandate. It’s another example of Congress being able to look good without making the hard choice of paying for inflicting their will on state and local government.

In another case, the Senate approved the building of a $6 billion, 700-mile fence along the Mexican border, but left out a key provision: the $6 billion.

Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht and Democrat Rep. Colin Peterson voted in favor of the House plan.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R, and Sen. Mark Dayton, D, voted in favor of the Senate plan.

NETROOTS
Over at the ActBlue Netroots Candidate page, Tim Walz is about $25 short of topping $12,000 and four contributors away from reaching 500.  Go visit the contribution page and change that.

On the netroots, Minnesota Central outlines four problems with the first bill mentioned by the Free Press, the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006, in  Gutknecht votes to suppress democracy; foster apathy.

The Wege and MnPublius both observe that somebody's been working on the railroad.  We're glad to see J-D and the Wege agree on something.

Midwest Values PAC features the new Walz ad.

MN-01 Endorsement: Wes Clark on Walz

WesPac, headed by General Wesley Clark (ret), has endorsed Tim Walz. Here's what the General has to say about the Command Sargeant Major:

"As a retired Command Sergeant Major, serving our country in Operation Enduring Freedom, Tim Walz has the post-9/11 perspective to be a thoughtful and effective leader in Congress. As a teacher and entrepreneur, Tim Walz knows what it takes to create positive and impressive change in this country.

"The people of Minnesota deserve to have Tim Walz in Congress. Southern Minnesota can cast a vote for him with pride, knowing that he will serve them as honorably as he has served his country.

“With a strong background in military service, education, and small business, Tim Walz will work tirelessly to develop new and innovative plans make our nation more secure, while continuing to create educational and economic opportunities for Americans. Tim Walz brings new leadership, vision, and a plan to Washington."

MN-01 Friday Evening Netroots & News: Firedog Lake, Iraq editorial, DailyKos diary

FIREDOG LAKE: WALZ AD SHOWS "A REAL, HONEST-TO-GOODNESS HUMAN BEING"
Over at Firedog Lake, Christy Hardin Smith discourses on Democratic campaign ads in "Political Ads-- Which Catch Your Attention and Why?"  Her greatest praise is reserved for Tim Walz's new ad:

The last ad is a Quicktime video (via StarTribuneBlog, with a big hat tip to reader BarbaraM for the links).  It’s for a candidate in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District — Tim Walz. I love a lot about this ad.  It starts off a little stiff and preachy, and I’m not in love with the scripting particularly, but it gets better as it goes along.  And the end, where the candidate himself comes on is the best part for me — this fellow doesn’t look like some self-absorbed butthead who has been running for office his whole life because he likes to hear himself talk.  This is a real person who is fed up with the problems that he sees every single day not being fixed, and who has decided that he has an obligation to stand up and do something to make things better.  A real, honest-to-goodness human being who cares about his community and his country.  (Yeah.  I know.  How great is that in a candidate?!?)

[snip]

I watched a bunch of ads putting this post together, and I thought I might have gotten bleary when I got to this particular ad, because I had such a good reaction to it overall.  So I road tested it on Mr. ReddHedd — and he had the same reaction, which is funny considering how opposite we tend to be on advertising viewing and reactions.  His comment was that he would vote for that guy — and if he lived in his district and saw this ad, he’d go right to the website and look him up.  I’ll be interested to see if everyone else has the same reaction.

Her readers had a similar response: wow!  We emailed her with more information about the race, including the Walz campaign's YouTube site, GoTimGo.

ROCHESTER POST-BULLETIN EDITORIAL: IRAQ DIVIDES
A kind friend sent today's Rochester Post Bulletin editorial to us. We reprint  "Iraq divides national figures and local politicians" here:

So far, the 1st District race between incumbent Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht and his DFL challenger Tim Walz cruises below the nationwide radar of election watchers.

Things look different here on the ground.

The issue:

The competitiveness and differences between Gutknecht and Walz is highlighted by the campaign support from aligned political heavyweights.

Support for Walz came from a visit to Rochester by Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. John Murtha. On the same Sunday, former Speaker of the House and possible 2008 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich came to raise money for Gutknecht.

The differences between Murtha and Gingrich are as great as they are between Walz and Gutknecht. It's over Iraq where the lines are most clearly drawn.

Gingrich sees the United States in the early stages of what could be another world war. The struggle, says Gingrich, is against "Islamo-Facists" such as Hezbollah, Hamas and al-Qaida and nation states such as Syria, North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela and Iran. He is no apologist for the Bush administration, implying the administration isn't doing enough.

For Gingrich, Iraq is a battlefront that the United States cannot abandon without ceding regional control to a potentially nuclear armed Iran.

Gutknecht maintains an overall position of support for the war. He argues that the United States will be in Iraq for "a very long time." Gutknecht believes in the continuation of a national policy that encourages Iraqis to take the lead from the United States in the management of Iraq.

Murtha does not envision current events in the Middle East as a precursor to a world war. He also believes Iraq cannot be won militarily. Murtha shook Congress when he called for the pullout of American troops from Iraq with a reasonable redeployment.

Walz said the Bush administration's Iraq policy is "a failure." For Walz, the way out of Iraq is with "robust diplomacy."

Gingrich looks at Iraq and sees a symptom of a more expansive problem. Murtha sees Iraq in a far more isolated way.

Walz sees an urgent need for a substantively changed U.S. Middle East policy. Gutknecht argues that, overall, the right path to take in Iraq is the goals and strategy of the Bush administration.

Our view:

Iraq is a separator. It divides national figures and local politicians. Its influence on the November election with be significant in an election that will decide which party controls Congress for the next two years.

DAILYKOS DIARIST POSTS "RAILROADED"
Diarist KKJohnson posted on the "Railroaded" YouTube video earlier this morning. Her take on the authorship:

Anyone of a number of people/groups who oppose the trains could have put this video together.

We doubt the highly professional Rochester Coalition would do this without a disclaimer. Whodunit? We don't know.

MN-01: "Every Day"--Tim Walz's Second Commercial

"Every Day" is up at Tim Walz's campaign site. Hot stuff.

Hat tip to Minnesota Campaign Report, who has posted the text and notice of the You Tube video.

Here's the YouTube version:

KAAL-TV: Iraq war critic rallies support for Walz

KAAL-TV (Austin/Rochester) web site features the Murtha visit as it's top story tonight.  Here's "Iraq war critic rallies support for Walz", which includes Gutknecht playing defense:

Sunday night in Rochester, one of the most vocal critics of the war in Iraq said the conflict cannot be won with U.S. troops.

Democratic congressman and former marine John Murtha spoke at a fund raising event for Tim Walz.

Walz is challenging republican Gil Gutknecht for a seat in the U.S. house.

Representative John Murtha from Pennsylvania rallied in Rochester to raise funds and support for DFL congressional candidate Tim Walz. The big issue one the agenda, the war in Iraq.

"Once you lose the hearts and minds of the people in a guerilla war you can't win it militarily," said Murtha.

Both Murtha and Walz are apposed to the war and feel it cannot be won with U.S. troops.

"I think it's incredibly appropriate that we are standing here today," said Walz. "Today is Constitution Day--the day that's set aside to remember what this country was founded on.  There are many soldiers out here--I just talked to a young man who came back, Nathan, from Afghanistan a short time ago. Talked to his wife who took care of their children while he was gone. They hear the politicians tell them freedom isn't free, they don't need to hear it."

Tim Eggenberger is a veteran and Walz supporter, "My feelings are that we shouldn't be in Iraq. I feel that the American people were lied to...Most of the republican party including congressman Gutknect supported Bush and his stand and now he's kinda back peddling."

But Gutknecht says that's not the case, "I believe that based on the information we had then we made the right decision. Obviously its tough sledding right now and it's much different than we had expected, but the world is a better place today."

Gutknecht also brought up that a majority of the democrats in congress also voted for the war.

- Lauren Dittmer

The video news clip is available at the top of the page.

Contrast with the station's about the other heaver-hitter in Rochester last night: "Gingrich speaks at Gutknecht fundraiser":

(KAAL) -- A famous face was in our area at a big-ticket moneymaker for Gil Gutknecht.

Newt Gingrich was in Rochester Sunday night speaking at fund raising dinner for the republican congressman.

Gingrich is a former speaker of the house and some say he may have his eye on the White House.

Gutknecht's campaign told us Gingrich was not available for an interview.

Jeepers, no video.

Netroots Afternoon: DCCC names MN-01 "emerging race"; MnCentral on Walz tv ad

There's no rest for bloggers in the Fighting First. Over at MyDD, Chris Bowers considers today's news from the Dee-Trip (DCCC).  While the contest in MN-01 has yet to be put on "Red to Blue" status, the Walz race has moved up another important notch:

The DCCC also  released their list of seats that apparently they are looking for in a wave election, their "emerging races.":

Charlie Brown (CA-04), Jack Davis (NY-26), Judy Feder (VA-10), Peter Goldmark (WA-05), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Tim Mahoney (FL-16), Eric Massa (NY-29), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Dave Mejias (NY-03), Maxine Moul (NE-01), Dan Seals (IL-10), Bob Shamansky (OH-12), Ellen Simon (AZ-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), Victoria Wulsin (OH-02)

Minnesota Central discusses Tim Walz's new television ad:

Walz’s ad is very good. It speaks of general issues, gives a brief candidate profile and includes a zinger on Gil Gutknecht’s ever-increasing salary. Hey, I like it. I wrote challenging Gutknecht to justify his pay increase based on performance before Walz issued his press release. Walz’s ad combines positive and negative and leaves the voter with a better understanding of the candidates without implying questionable, unverifiable assertions.

We've contacted the Walz campaign to see if the ad will be made available via You Tube.