JEERS ... to Republican congressional candidate Raul Labrador. In his televised debate with Democratic incumbent Walt Minnick last week, Labrador had this to say about trucking hundreds of megaloads hauling oil company equipment up U.S. Highway 12: Don't ask him about it. Transportation is a state issue. Gov. C. L. (Butch) Otter has done a "good job" of handling the issue. Come on, Raul. Sure, there are state issues that a congressman has no business messing with -- such as budgets, taxes and initiative campaigns. But these "rolling roadblocks" -- each as much as 24 feet wide, 210 feet long, 30 feet high and weighing 290 tons -- will be traveling across a federally designated highway, built with federal highway tax dollars, across national forests and wilderness areas. It's a matter of interstate commerce/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Is the mega-load controversy on Highway 12 involving various oil companies just a problem for the state of Idaho to deal with?