Betty Dips Her Oar in the Water

If you were a Republican candidate for Ohio governor and you were running third out of three in the polls, you might find something better to do with your time than butt into the U.S. Senate flap over Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the campaign of state auditor Betty Montgomery couldn't help itself and fired off a press release Tuesday urging the Senate to give Alito a quick up-or-down vote, adding a slap for Senate Democrats for allegedly smearing the judge and trying to delay his confirmation.

Her GOP opponents, Ken Blackwell and Jim Petro weighed in some time ago with words of support for Alito, leaving Montgomery to play catch-up.

Democrats and Republicans in the Senate generally find little to agree on, but they are probably of one mind on the subject of Ohio gubernatorial candidates kibbitzing in their business - they can surely live without the advice of Betty, Ken or Jim.

But the Montgomery statement giving Senate Democrats what-for wasn't really aimed at them - it was aimed at the rather large block of social conservatives who turn out in great numbers in Ohio GOP primaries and who, so far anyway, seem to be committed to Blackwell.

You can't go wrong smacking around Democrats, even from a distance.