An Unlikely Hero - Bozeman, Montana

Yesterday Nick Ehli made my day. He returned my call.

Fraud offends me. I certainly don't want to be associated with it, and when an e-mail letter was forwarded to me purporting to be from a couple in Bozeman Montana, in its descriptions it was such a clear microcosm of the issue of the townhalls that I decided to check it out. My two questions: was it in fact authentic and was it accurate.

Through Google I discovered the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the name of the Managing Editor, and his phone number. I called him, got his phone mail and left my number. I called four more times over the period of a day and a half, but left a new message only on the fifth try.

Much to my surprise, a half hour later he called me back.

He explained that he had hundreds of calls after the President's visit, and he apologized for the delay in getting to mine. He then proceeded to answer all my many questions.

He believed the letter was not genuine but contrived. His reasons were sound and had the ring of truth. One of them reflected a concern I had harbored prior to the conversation.

I asked him about the political orientation of his area and he was concise and detailed. He was at all times friendly, generous and evenhanded. While I might guess his political leaning, he did not in any way disclose it.

He ended our conversation by restating that his primary(but not only) reason for doubting the letter lay in its misleading description of the local airport. It is not he said, as described, isolated and distant, but is, in fact, just a very short drive from downtown.

I am no fan of the Obama regime. But our opposition must not resort to those things we hate in our opponents' behavior. The letter, in my now better informed view, is contrived. If it is not, I would like to hear directly from Bill or Kathy.

The Press today is, I believe, generally shirking its duty to fairly monitor our government and
play evenhanded watchdog. In some areas its sycophancy with the present administration is beyond scorn. That being said, what I found yesterday was a wonderful breath of fresh air.I told Mr. Ehli at the outset that I had a blog, but he did not ask its name, treated me with generous attention, and never made me feel I might be wasting his time. His fair evaluation of the letter's contents, his attitude, and our very pleasant conversation surprised me, and now I must readjust my own attitude to encompass a hero in the Press.

Thank you Mr. Ehli!