JEERS .... to Idaho Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter. Wednesday's statewide televised gubernatorial debate featured two clowns - and we're not talking about Otter and his GOP rival, Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian. No, we're talking about real clowns. Such as Harley Brown, a perennial Boise nuisance who claims to be a civil engineer, a former Navy Seabee and a cab driver. The Idaho Statesman's Dan Popkey has written that Brown's "sense of humor is more fit for a brothel than a Republican primary. His website includes a tab for 'Harleyisms,' a sour soup of racism, sexism and poor taste that makes it clear he has no intention of running a serious campaign." Public TV put the program on a 30-second delay to guard against any "Harleyisms"/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: We laughed about the debate debacle that included two eccentric also-rans who stole the spotlight from serious contenders Gov. Butch Otter and Sen. Russ Fulcher in the only statewide gubernatorial debate. But did Gov. Otter cheat Idahoans of a decent exchange of ideas with Fulcher by insisting the two other clowns be included?