I have to say I am taken aback at the recent attacks on possible Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Steve Kirby.

I'm not thrilled with our capitalist class thinking that they have some inherited right to not only take all our money but also run our lives.; I.e., see Chris Lien.

But on the other hand, Steve is not yet even a formal candidate.

While Steve and I don't agree on the issues, I do know Steve a bit.  For a couple season, we coached our daughters' rec soccer team. He was the coach, I was his assistant.

Steve treated me with respect and good humor.  He was excellent with the girls and the parents.  The kids all had fun, learned soccer, and were successful.

Steve was no ogre and I enjoyed learning more about soccer from him as his assistant.  He also never lorded his wealth over me or the girls. He was just a dad coaching his daughter's team like lots of other parents I've been around.

Before than when Steve was Lt. Governor after Gov. George Mickelson's death, I covered him when I was a journalist.  He was always cordial and accessible.

Like my Republican KELOLAND colleague Prof. Jon Schaff, I am dismayed by the level of attack of Steve by Sen. Tim Johnson's campaign.

Last summer and fall when the GOP Wolf Pack was attacking Tim on health issues and trying to plant the idea that Tim was unable to serve, I denounced that tactic as dirty politics.

Those attacks on Tim were wrong.  So are these attacks on Steve.

Though I am a strong Tim Johnson supporter and hope he wins re-election, I am also disappointed by the personal attacks on Steve Kirby.  Like many other Democrats, I have issues with Steve's views on abortion, the role of government, and his conservative values.

But that does not mean he is a bad person.  If the Johnson campaign wants to criticize Steve for his stands on the issues or even legitimate complaints about the businesses he's helped to fund, then do so.

But to merely attack Steve for being Steve belittles not just Steve Kirby, but Sen. Johnson and the good will he has earned through his works as a Senator and because of his illness.

By taking the gloves off on a person who is not even a candidate yet, the Johnson campaign is playing with a "take no prisoners" approach.

That's fine. Politics is a rough and tumble game.

But just remember, what goes around comes around. If the Johnson campaign wants people to cut it and Tim slack because of his illness, it is going to be hard to gain such sympathy because of their ferocity of the attacks on non-candidate Steve Kirby.

This is probably not the election cycle to engage in those type of tactics. Sen. Barack Obama and even Sen. John McCain have shown--so far--that the electorate is looking for LEADERS who can bring about CHANGE and have IDEAS. Sen. Hillary Clinton's rejection has been in large part because of her association with the politics of personal destruction.

It's all something to think about in the watershed year of 2008, where voters want substance and not the usual b.s. of personal attack.

I'll be keeping my eyes on both sides on this.

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