Why? Always Try. Then wave bye-bye.

Ok, this mini-Minnesota media splash is bothering me. Out of the gate, I'll say that I appreciate that Ms. Rowley blew the whistle on the FBI and uncovered some disturbing elements within the nation's top cop shop. However, she just doesn't seem to have her act together when it comes to running for office. Let's start with the tag line "Always Try" - has she not seen Empire Strikes Back? Yoda would be very upset. Colleen, try is like crying in baseball - there is no TRY!!

Rowley, a life long Republican, seeks the Democratic nomination to challenge two-term GOP Rep. John Kline in Minnesota's 2nd District. Not a bad thing, and something she has a right to do. However, when addressing the media this thing started to fall apart -- she said that she didn?t necessarily align with the DFL, and had these informative things to say:

I'm as tough as anyone, I do the triathlons.

Great. That's quite convincing. When the curtains are drawn and a voter is in the booth they think about two things: (1) what made Aunt Martha's cookies so damn tasty and (2) who's competed in triathlons. Yes, I shall vote for her, and I need to pick up some almond paste. Yes, democracy at work.

Some of the positions I have and I don't know exactly what the Democratic leadership's positions exactly are, I think that my positions are not exactly in synch.

You're instilling a great deal of confidence, keep going...

I voted pretty much voted straight-line Republican until quite recently and the reason I've had this big sea change is that I don't think that the Republican leadership is being true to its conservative roots.

I too feel this way about the Republicans. You're not sure about the Democratic party, you were a straight-line Republican, I'm listening...

I don't think you can actually, you know, promise results, but what you can promise hard effort to accomplish the goal.

What's the goal?!?! How can you be a politician and not make promises?!?! How did they let you on TV? Why did a quote from a "supporter" come from a man in Wisconsin? As much redestricting as we've had in Minnesota, no part of Wisconsin is in Minnesota. No, not even if you're "trying" can you get Wisconsin in Minnesota's 2nd CD.

Maybe I'm off here, but I don't think DFL Chair Brian Melendez will be spending a lot of time to generate support and resources for Ms. Rowley. But there is a good moral to this who-ha, disaster of an announcement . If you're not sure what you're doing, make sure you're always trying. It's a lot like the company I work for, "crap, we don't know what we're doing but we need to do it faster. Try, damn it try!"

The cynic in me feels that this was more of a name recognition effort for a future book or appointment and not for a true run at the 2nd CD. Trying belongs in tee-ball and not for garnering support for milk toast, spineless campaigns that lack substance but really, really deserve a gold star for effort.