This has been out there today…and is still worth noting:

Sen. Tim Johnson says no to debates

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson says he won’t take part in “traditional political debates” during his 2008 re-election campaign. Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage in December 2006 and went through extensive rehabilitation, slowly learning to walk and speak again. The 61-year-old Johnson, whose speech is slurred, is still undergoing speech rehab.

“I have been open and honest about my recovery,” he said in a news release. “While my speech continues to improve, it is not yet 100 percent and I have not yet reached a point in my rehab where my participation in a debate would accurately reflect my capabilities. Therefore I will not participate in traditional political debates during this campaign.”

To notice the 500 lb gorilla in the corner on this one, the Chief would note the possibility that the point reached in his rehab WOULD accurately reflect his capabilities. Of course no one is supposed to actually say so, but it’s still sitting there anyway.

More surprising to the Chief is the following, from the Argus-Leader:

Update: Johnson repeatedly vowed to debate before today’s decision to back out

After initially vowing to participate in political debates, Sen. Tim Johnson said today he would not debate Republican challenger Joel Dykstra. When Johnson announced he planned to run for reelection, Dykstra said, “he was quoted early on as being committed to debating his opponent… We hoped his campaign staff would have let him complete that promise.”

Johnson’s past statements show that Friday’s announcement is an abrupt departure from what the senator and his campaign manager said previously:

The piece then goes on to cite the specific instances when the debate question was previously discussed:

• In December, Johnson said in a conference call with reporters that he will participate in debates if he is asked. “How many and where are put in reserve, but I will participate in debates,” he told the Associated Press.
• In March, Steve Jarding, who heads the Johnson campaign, told the Argus Leader there will be debates.
• In April, Johnson again told the AP that he expected to debate the winner of the Republican primary.

Jarding said Friday the senator was not talked out of debates by his staff. “It’s his decision. Tim’s his own guy. He knows himself best, and God knows with health issues that should be in his hands,” says Jarding. “Obviously the calculation the Johnson staff has made is they feel the cost of snubbing the Dakotafest debate (and subsequent debates later this fall) is lower than the cost of doing it.

What surprises the Chief on all this is that the Argus-Leader actually pointed out the change in Johnson’s willingness to openly debate.