Campaign ‘96

State Controller J.D. Williams sent a letter to President Clinton last week inviting him to come back to Idaho for a ski vacation.

Clinton, at the end of his recent intense meeting with state officials in Boise over flood damage, said he hoped maybe the next time he came to the state he could “go skiing or something.”

Williams, the only remaining Democrat among Idaho’s statewide elected officials, suggested in his letter that the president would enjoy skiing at Sun Valley. “What better time to come than after the campaign, when you have been re-elected … ” he wrote.

Remember, he’s a good fighter

U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, Idaho’s senior Republican, received the “Idaho Statesman of the Year” award from Idaho State University’s political science fraternity, according to a memo issued by his office.

A video aired at the awards banquet Friday night, featuring Democrats and Republicans congratulating him. They included U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., saying Craig is “the personification of a statesman who believes - and believes firmly - and can disagree without being disagreeable.”

A little help from her friends

Dan Williams, the Democrat who is running against Republican Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth, issued a press release accusing Chenoweth of using her Congressional staff to campaign. That’s because her chief of staff, Keith Rupp, was quoted rebutting a Williams attack on Chenoweth’s voting record on flood aid.

Does Williams really mean it when he says in a press release, “Chenoweth needs to stop being part of the problem and become part of the solution?”

The release noted that Chenoweth is the only member of Idaho’s congressional delegation not supporting Gov. Phil Batt’s new strategy to recover Idaho’s steelhead and salmon runs. But presumably, Williams would rather replace Chenoweth than reform her.

Campaign calendar

Kootenai County Democratic Party will select delegates for the state convention and discuss the state platform March 5 beginning at 7 p.m. at Templin’s Resort in Post Falls.

Filing for office in Idaho opens March 25 and closes April 5.

The deadline for registering to vote in the Idaho primary is May 3.

, DataTimes