The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

The average politician maintains a tenuous grasp on reality, only deigning to view the world with lucid eyes every few years in the all too brief window of time surrounding elections.

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I'm not a little disappointed that the charges against Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois who purported to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder have pushed the recent transgressions of Governor Tim Pawlenty out of the news, even here in Minnesota.

Last Wednesday, our fearless leader, the esteemed Gov. Timothy Pawlenty, stood in front of the Republican Governors Association and did his damndest not to gloat. His self-control was such that, even as arch-rival Gov. Sarah Palin spoke to the assembled executives, he refrained from leaping across the lectern to crush the life out of the woman who stole his rightful place at John McCain’s side. Of course, his restraint may have something to do with the fact that, in all likelihood, Gov.

Older generations often talk wistfully of times past - an era when candy was a nickel and hookers cost but sixpence. And with Minnesota's sesquicentennial occurring this year, the temptation to romanticize is pushed even farther, with tales of subzero temperatures, white out conditions, and devouring small children to survive winter's lean times bandied about like so many empowering after-school special style messages delivered by Hillary Duff.

Today's launch of the new Republican "issue ad" blaming DFLers for Minnesotans being asked to sacrifice manhood and innocence alike whilst pumping merrily away at the gas station is just the latest chapter in a textbook Nora Ephron romance. You see, it always starts with the title characters loathing one another. And you'd be hard pressed to find more animosity and revulsion than early in the legislative session. Much like Harry and Sally, our own Tim Pawlenty and the state legislature started off on the

Since taking office in 2003, Tim Pawlenty has done an admirable job of holding to his conservative values and staving off those in the legislature who would pluck that last bastion of political innocence. From saying no to an omnibus higher education bill last May to drawing the line at the appointment of a state poet laureate, our fearless leader has never allowed the fumbling advances of the DFL to arouse his executive passions and cajole him into doing something rash, something he'd regret in the harsh light of the

There's going to be another inquiry into why the bridge fell. On top of the NTSB, the Legislative Auditor, and the Governor Pawlenty-hired consultants, we're going to have the Minneapolis law firm of Gray Plant Mooty looking into things on behalf of a bi-partisan State House-Senate committee.