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MN-Senate: Strib Endorses Klobuchar Over Kennedy

Read this: Amy Klobuchar for U.S. Senate; She brings a strong combination of competence, energy, focus

Klobuchar’s drive, poise and ability to make a personal connection with Minnesota voters would have made her a strong contender against any opponent. But Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy’s insistence on hewing closely to the White House line on Iraq and other critical issues of the day has sharpened the choice for Minnesotans: Stick with President Bush or carve a new path?

Had Kennedy been campaigning from the private sector or a state-level post, it would be easier to listen to him argue, as he did recently on “Meet the Press,” that we can’t “TiVo and play replays” on Iraq, that the focus should only be forward. But Kennedy and his fellow members of Congress have yet to be held accountable for their credulous backing of the president, even in light of ever-emerging evidence that the White House misread the situation and misled the public from day one of this shameful war. Kennedy’s recent acknowledgment that mistakes have been made seems more a desperate campaign move than evidence of serious rethinking, given that he still supports current administration policy.