GOP helped deliver ‘Great Democratic Hope' (Montana)

[Newsjock]

http://missoulian.com/articles/2006/03/14/opinion/opinion3.txt

Gov. Brian Schweitzer is riding high. Our last poll found 64 percent of Montanans approving of the job he's doing. His first year in the first office he's ever held was filled with successes as he demonstrated leadership and political skill that belie his political inexperience. He's an interesting and upbeat guy, brimming with ideas, full of passion, colorful and talkative. It's fun to talk with him. Even his political opponents have had trouble finding things not to like about him, resorting at times to grumbling about his blue jeans and cow dog.

Viewed from afar, from beyond Montana's borders, Schweitzer has taken on near-mythical proportions as a “Red-State Democrat,” the Democrat who managed to crack the code, unlocking Republican's lock on government.

... We think highly of Schweitzer. He shows a lot of promise. He's spread an infectious optimism around the state. But even as admirers, we feel compelled to point out to those who would emulate him that Schweitzer gets credit for what he does as governor, but he can't take all the credit for getting himself elected governor. For all we know, he'll go down in history as one of the greatest politicians the state has ever produced, but we're also pretty sure he might never have seen the inside of the governor's residence without a couple strokes of luck.

Call them “Bob Brown” and “Judy Martz.”

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