Interesting piece on how wolves factor into the 2012 Senate race here in Montana (thanks to Dr. Jerry Johnson for this). You can read the editorial here.
Two quick points. First, the issue of wolves fits within the broader discussion happening here in Montana concerning states versus federal rights. The Montana Legislature is considering legislation to nullify federal statutes.
Second, Rehberg and Tester are going after what will be a key constituency group in the 2012 election: ranchers and farmers. Both can lay strong claims to support from these groups, and the wolf issue is highly salient to them.
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Kudos to Jon Tester for resolving this no-win situation in as narrow and precise a way as possible. It's a shame that Congress had to get involved, but the status quo was untenable. A big "boo" to the out-of-touch plaintiffs whose ill-considered lawsuit created this mess in MT and ID. And a bigger, juicer tomato in the kisser for Rehberg, who clearly wanted this issue to fester, unresolved, with platters of red meat for everyone, until 2012. Rehberg believes government is bad, and he uses his power in government to make sure that government is in fact unresponsive, ham-strung and, well, bad. The one clear hero in this story is Idaho's Republican congressman Mike Simpson, who led the effort in the House to put practical solutions ahead of partisan demagoguery, to the deep consternation of Denny. Tant pis, Denny!
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