Uppity Wisconsin

The Journal Sentinel political blog tells us Milwaukee County Exec Scott Walker has "clarified" his comments about not seeking reelection in 2008:

Walker clarifies '02 re-election comments

County Executive Scott Walker said today that comments he made six years ago about not running for re-election in 2008 weren't serious promises.

Walker last week touted his accomplishments in office and strongly suggested he plans to run for re-election next year.

"I certainly didn't make that as a pledge" in 2002, Walker said in an interview today. "I didn't put it anywhere in my literature."

Any remarks he might have made in 2002 about not seeking re-election in 2008 might have been joking references, Walker said...

In a campaign forum on April 24, 2002, Walker was asked if he'd seek re-election as county executive and how long he would hold the office. According to a transcript of the forum, Walker replied:

"I will focus on cleaning up the waste and abuse during the next two years. To put in place reforms to insure these changes stay in place, I am open to a run for a full term in 2004, but will not run beyond that term."...

As pointed out here earlier, Walker also told the newspaper editorial board, in an interview possted on April 21, 2002:

Q: Just so everyone is clear, you do, if you win, plan to run again in 2004?

A: Yes. I don't have an interest in running beyond that.

That didn't exactly sound like a joke or an off-the-cuff remark.

The nakedly ambitious Walker undoubtedly expected to find himself in higher office by 2008, but now needs to keep the office as a base.

(Great news for Democrats, by the way, that Walker was favored in the WisPolitics straw poll at the GOP state convention last week. Dems should hope he's the nominee.)

Walker won't be the first politician to change his mind -- or even the first to deny he's changing his mind. The voters are usually pretty forgiving about it -- even with candidates who ran as favoring term limits and then changed their minds after getting elected.

But wouldn't a little Truth in Politics be a refereshing change?