Holding Hands, Skipping Down the Path Together

I predict that in 2 years there will be a proposal to merge Saint Paul with Minneapolis.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have been together so much that aides are calling them Brokeback Mayors. More than once, aides have been reminded of the movie's signature line: "I wish I knew how to quit you."

Coleman calls the new duo's joint appearances the Traveling Road Show. "It seems like every day we spend six hours together," he said. "I hope you can see how happy I am that he got elected," Rybak said to Allina Hospitals & Clinics employees as he appeared with Coleman at a company antismoking forum. The two spoke about their mutual support of a statewide smoking ban, a position that highlighted the new esprit de corps.

That collaboration could make a difference in DFL politics, transportation, smoking, human rights, a baseball stadium and city building. The day after their landslide victories in November, Coleman and Rybak had lunch together at DeGidio's on West 7th Street in St. Paul, sending a message that a new era had begun. They've not stopped talking or agreeing since.

Sure it's creepy, but the worst part is that both these fools are wholly unaware of the natural and healthly civic rivalry between the two towns, and the profound differences between the two. Oh yea; domestic partner benefits for everyone!