Opinion: Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer to raise his profile in Iowa

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What with Barack Obama having at least a 50-50 chance of winning the presidency, based on current polling, it would be unseemly at this point for other Democratic bigwigs to plot too overtly future White House bids of their own (a certain senator from New York perhaps excepted).

But most politicians, by nature, always are looking down the road, always calculating a few moves ahead. So we noted with interest an announcement Saturday from Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa.

This will be the 31st year Harkin has sponsored a ‘steak fry’ in his home state (where they eat funny).

And as Iowa has grown ever more important in the presidential selection process, an invitation to Harkin’s get-together has become ever more coveted by Democrats with national ambitions.

The guest of honor in 2005 was John Edwards. A year later, Obama. In 2007, Edwards returned to the event -- along with the other major Democratic presidential candidates.

So who headlines next Sunday’s steak fry?

Harkin revealed Saturday it would be Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

‘He is a wonderful friend and a successful, hugely popular Western governor, as well as a major national Democratic political figure,’ Harkin said. ‘His outstanding speech at the Democratic National Convention was truly inspirational, and I know he will bring that same level of excitement to Iowa as we fire up for this year’s election.’

And maybe, just maybe, he’ll be aiming to lay some groundwork for some future campaign in which having allies in Iowa helps.

He’ll scoff at such talk -- colorfully, in the down-home style that is his trademark (and which at times he lays on a bit thick). But Schweitzer, who two years ago was profiled in the New York Times Sunday magazine, continues to raise his profile in the party.

And should Obama fall short of his goal in November, here’s something we would expect the Montanan to start stressing: The three straight defeated Democratic tickets each shared something in common -- candidates, in both slots, hailing from east of the Mississippi River.

-- Don Frederick

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