In defense of Mark Dayton...

Yeah, I know--he's the guy that makes an easy target for ridicule. But personally, we could have done a lot worse with a democrat in Minnesota's delegation to the U.S. Senate than Mark Dayton. Not that I would ever agree with any of his legislative policies, but I truly think, in all he did, Dayton's heart was genuine.

WASHINGTON — Asked to describe his attitude in his last few months in office, Sen. Mark Dayton cited a line from the 1960s song "Me and Bobby McGee." "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," he says.

The first-term Minnesota Democrat is not seeking re-election and, these days, sounds very much like a politician with little to lose.

In February, upset about a plan by a South Dakota railroad to run coal trains close to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Dayton said the clinic "is worth a hell of a lot more than the whole state of South Dakota."

He later apologized for the remark.

The following month, he called fellow Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold's proposal to censure President Bush over a warrantless surveillance program "an overreaching step by someone who is grandstanding and running for president at the expense of his own party and his own country."

Dayton did not apologize for that.

He even told a Minnesota high school group he'd give himself an "F" if he had to grade his accomplishments in the Senate.

Hey--you gotta admire honesty and candid comments from a U.S. Senator... something that's all too difficult to come by nowadays.

Still, said Steve Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., "giving himself an F — that must be a first in Senate history."

"This is a fellow who's issuing a few Bronx cheers on the way out the door," Schier said.

There were some comments uttered by Mark Drake, spokesman for the Minnesota Republican Party, that I feel were gratuitous and out of line:

The Minnesota Republican Party has noticed Dayton's increased bluntness with approval.

"He's certainly let it rip lately," said Mark Drake, the party's spokesman. "We appreciate his candor when he does acknowledge that he does deserve a failing grade for his performance in the Senate. I think he's right when he says he's been ineffective and hasn't accomplished a lot."

In my opinion, that was an unneeded parting kick in the groin, and in poor taste.

One of the greatest things I actually admire about Dayton, even as a democrat, is that he has always, I mean always, treated our troops and their mission (along with military veterans), with great respect. In my book, for a democrat with that kind of respect, I will forgive any and all legislative ineptitude. I definitely wouldn't lump him with Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and Jack Murtha, who, in my opinion, we would do well to be rid of on a far grander scale than Mark Dayton.


(Filed under miscellany)