The Twisted World of Kyle M?

What's this? World-Herald stalwart (and thorn-in-the-side-of-progress in Nebraska) Harold W. Andersen and I have pretty much the same reading of this Hagel, Heineman, Osborne brouhaha:

Hagel says he and Heineman weren't attempting a pre-emptive strike designed to discourage Osborne from announcing for governor. Rather, Hagel said, he simply was endorsing Heineman's candidacy because of the strong record he has built as governor, lieutenant governor and state treasurer.

How's that again? An enthusiastic endorsement of a record which at the time included 11 1/2 weeks of service as governor? The fact is that Heineman does not yet have a record as governor deserving of either endorsement or criticism. You can't even say that the jury is out on Heineman's performance, because the trial of his performance barely has begun....

How much fairer treatment of Osborne (certainly politics and fairness need not be mutually exclusive) if Hagel had welcomed Heineman's announcement with kind words but added that he would not take sides if Osborne (for whom Hagel has said he has "the highest regard") ran for governor.

It would be ironic if Hagel's quick pledge of unqualified support for Heineman boomeranged, tending to push Osborne toward a decision to take on the Heineman-Hagel team rather than avoiding a primary election contest.

Is this good or bad? Finding common ground with one's (ideological) enemies does make for a strong claim to a shared humanity and common sense from which some hope for the future can be drawn, but it also suggests the possibility that my thinking has become just as corrupted and self-serving as Andersen's.

There's also the simple explanation to consider that this was just a pretty obvious situation that anyone of a certain intelligence (be it high or low) would have read in pretty much the same way. I hope it's that one, so we (Harold and I) don't have to claim anything more than some fundamental intelligence in common.

If I suddenly start dropping in little folksy tid-bits about my pets and my significant other, though, know that the sickness has finally set in and this particular blogger has truly lost his way and needs to be put out of his misery.