Tommy Thompson's Chutzpah

Tommy got pretty nice coverage in the Journal Sentinel during his erratic, vanity campaign for President of The United States of America.

And why not. He was the hometown guy. Everyone knew his campaign was going nowhere with the likes of Guiliani, Romney and other candidates of articulation, stature and national funding in the race.

But rather than be grateful for paper's Valentines that kept coming his way, Tommy has the temerity to blame the same Journal Sentinel for fund-raising woes that will cost him the Iowa Straw Poll.

The negative stories that Tommy is griping about were generated by the candidate's incurable foot-in-mouth behavior on the stump and in national debates.

He was in way over his head running for President of the United States, and the campaign revealed it.

Campaigns are rough. Losing is no fun. I happen to know a thing or two about that, having around plenty of losing efforts, including my own loss for Mayor of Madison.

But frankly, I'd expected more of Tommy than to fall back on the most tired of political excuses: blame the media.

When it comes right down to it, unless there was a Rovian figure in the background sabotaging your every move, candidates who lose know the loss begins with them/us.