state + local

Can't say I'm sorry to see her go. I'll never forget her hand in the state shutdown.

Excellent photo by Brian Peterson. It captures the blurry but menacing sneer of Kurt Zellers in the background. Quite thought provoking.

Good bye.

It is unclear why a politician would resign after one year at her post. There may be info that will later come to light, so perhaps we should avoid comments that will later seem hasty. Classy comments about her by Republicans and Democrats alike suggest that we can work together to resolve issues even though we disagree we people on the other side of the political spectrum.

Senator Koch had what most Republicans lack; a conscience, a soul, and a semblance of humility. While I didn’t often agree with her positions as stated, she always appeared to be hamstrung by her party and not allowed to speak her true beliefs. The party purists most likely pushed her so hard she saw no reasonable way to continue helping Minnesota as a clear thinking, non-cool-aid drinking Republican; a rare commodity indeed.

"Hann said that the election must be held within two weeks, according to the Senate's bylaws." Nice holiday season gift there. An item on the must-do list.

This gives her more time to prepare for Bachmann's congressional seat. Hard to imagine her giving up the state pension and health insurance that she would hypocritically deny other workers.

It sounds like she was feeling overwhelmed and not energized by the opportunity to serve. It is unfortunate that the job was not a good match for her. Perhaps someone else is up for the challenge and responsibities, which is understandably a burden. We need a Republican Hubert Humphrey, a whirlwind of energy, the likes of which don't come along very often. Thank you for your service, as short as it was.

She did not sign the no new taxes "Taxpayer Protection Pledge." This suggests to me that other comments about her integrity and her commitment to public service are credible and I am sorry that she has stepped down.

There is more to this story...stay tuned. No one who claws there way up to this position, merely 'resigns'...