Fooling None of the People, None of the Time

One of the organizer’s of last Saturday’s anti-war rally at Macalester college recently commented on the attempt to get U.S. Senator Mark Dayton to participate in the event:

We had invited Senator Dayton -- in addition to about 75 other elected officials -- to the event several weeks ago, but he had told us that he would not be in Minnesota this weekend. When we heard that he was scheduled to speak at the "Support Our Troops" rally at the Capitol [that same day], two of our members called his office to remind him of our event -- and to ask him to explain his March 21st statement in the Star Tribune:

"The president has made that momentous decision, and I will support him, his military command and the brave American troops who are carrying out his orders," said Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., normally one of Bush's fiercest critics."

After a day of phone conversations among Dayton's staff, some members of Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace, and some members of IPAC, we decided that we did not think he would be an appropriate last-minute addition to our already crowded speaking schedule because he seems to have chosen to support the war. He said he would be happy to address our crowd and seemed willing to take some criticism and questions, but we were afraid that his presence -- given his current stated stance on the war -- would dishearten the crowd. As one person in our group put it, "A peace rally should not be a public forum for waffling politicians." Late in the day, something suddenly came up in Washington and Senator Dayton did not make it to Minnesota to attend or speak at either event.

In summation, Dayton declined to speak at the anti-war event because he said he wouldn’t be in town that day. Then he agreed to speak at a support the troops rally that same day. Then he later agreed to also speak at the anti-war rally (and was turned down). Then he didn’t show up at either of them.

Now that’s what I call getting out in front of an issue! (And then falling under it and getting flattened.)

Say what you will about Mark Dayton’s leadership style, but you have to admit he has a talent for creating a consensus. Both the Left and the Right seem to be rapidly coming to an agreement. That we need a new Senator in 2006.