Newsflash: Politicians are human and make mistakes

State Representative Donna Nelson’s “Quote of the Day/Year”, reported with the headline “Refreshing honesty in Salem” on the Oregonian‘s Politics blog, has been picked up by BlueOregon in a post appearing to continue previous ridicule of the woman. Rep. Nelson said:

“I thought this was a great bill until I just found out I don’t know what I’m talking about.” – in reference to House Bill 2758, on RVs parked on private property without permission.

I suspect every person reading this blog, the O‘s Politics blog, and BlueOregon, has experienced changing your mind on an issue, based on new information or opinions received and thoughtfully considered. Isn’t that what we want elected officials to do, sometimes? And surely, we are all aware that often proposed legislation isn’t quite what it seems in the title and summary (cough)Measure 26-90(cough). I don’t like anything else I’ve read about Rep. Nelson’s policies and initiatives, but I think people in general and politicians in particular should be lauded when they admit mistakes clearly and honestly. Especially when they do so with the intent of helping others see the light, too.

Meanwhile, our friends at Mercury Blogtown get it right once again, in commending Commissioner Leonard for owning and correcting his error in voting Yes on the Sit-Lie ordinance, when he meant No. It’s helpful for the community to understand what happens at City Council, when often Council members are dealing with several important issues on the same agenda. And very good for everyone to know that a single citizen can send an e-mail to a Commissioner and receive a speedy, personal, straight answer. It happens all the time, contrary to what the proponents of 26-91 ask you to believe.

Remember the flap about John Kerry missing a word out of an intended joke regarding the President sending troops to Iraq? Did you catch the coverage this week of Barack Obama saying 10,000 people died in the Kansas tornado? Contrast the attention given to those minor mis-statements with this sober, concise analysis by the Guardian Unlimited in the UK on “Blair’s one fatal mistake” – the Prime Minister of Britain’s decision to invade Iraq with the US. Now that is worth discussing. And I appreciate its framing as a policy question rather than a personal flaw.