Rowley racks 'em up

A spate of endorsements for the congressional candidate

As Coleen Rowley creeps ever-so-closer to respectability in this campaign season, a number of folks are suddenly comfortable throwing their weight behind her. The latest round of endorsements this week features a retired general and homeland security expert, along with a host of veterans and families of 9/11 victims.

"In voting for Coleen Rowley, Minnesotans will have an opportunity to
change the current corrupt politics-as-usual in Washington, DC," General Wesley Clark is quoted as saying in a Rowley for Congress e-mail. "To change the current state of affairs, we need to vote for someone who will lead with strong moral values and ethical responsibility who will stand up for what she believes is right."

Names of others listed in the e-mail who "stand with" Rowley as she comes down the home stretch against Republican incumbent John Kline in the 1st District are: Alice Hoglan (mother of United Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham), retired Air Force Colonel Ginny Johnson, Retired Major General Jerald N. Albrecht, Steve Silver (brother of 9/11 victim Valerie Silver), and Gail Dunham, President of the National Air Disaster Alliance and Foundation.

The purpose here would be to outflank old Col. Kline, himself a vet, on all things military. "All expressed their gratitude for the support Rowley showed for families in the aftermath of 9/11," the e-mail concludes, "as well as her continued support for military and veterans' issues."