On the radio Wednesday, Pawlenty said: "The mere fact that the question lingers and distracts the entire session is a fact that we had to consider."
After the 15-minute interview, Pawlenty called back to amend his comments after the show's hosts, Ron Rosenbaum and Mark O'Connell, criticized him for accepting Stanek's resignation for politically expedient reasons. "Whether he was going to get confirmed, that was a factor. It wasn't the only factor, it wasn't the deciding factor," the governor said when he called back. Previously, Pawlenty said on the radio that he concluded it would have been "impossible or nearly impossible" for Stanek to be confirmed. He drew that conclusion, he said, after hearing Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson's public comments about Stanek on Friday afternoon. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/8488209.htm *************************************************************************************** Letters from readers April 20, 2004 Supporting Stanek Being a retired Minneapolis police officer, I followed the career of former Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek as he quickly advanced through the ranks. Stanek is probably one of the most well-rounded, well-thought-of cops in the entire state. If State Rep. Keith Ellison and others could cite an instance where Stanek acted in a racist manner, I would agree that he should step down. Without this evidence, I feel that Stanek was railroaded from office by some who have their own political agenda. Jim Wilson, Wayzata. Only human Hindsight is 20/20. I wonder if there is anything negative in the past of the people who forced Gov. Tim Pawlenty to ask for the resignation of Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek. Maybe we should reflect on how we would make different decisions and give others the same grace -- including political figures. After all, they are human just like the rest of us. Steve Dobson, Owatonna, Minn. Posted by Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
