The gov came out in support of Kelly's bill to divert more non-violent offenders into drug rehab programs to try and keep them out of prison. Perhaps the governor is getting more aggressive in his courting of legislative help from both sides of the aisle.

A sign of that may have come in the House A and R committee today. While discussing the House's $400 million dollar tax package, chairman Harry Moberly repeatedly referred to Gov. Beshear's "courageous" budget proposal and how Beshear and his Budget Director, Mary Lassiter had done the best they could in drawing up a bare bones budget with limited resources. Moberly must have praised Beshear at least 7 times during the meeting. This is the same guy who called Beshear's new revenue and spending plan "irresponsible" and said the governor needed "an adjustment in attitude" in dealing with the legislature. Moberly made those statements on Friday. One observer joked, I think, that Moberly had to kiss and make up with the governor if he ever hoped to be picked as a future president of Eastern Kentucky University. Beshear appoints the Board of Regents at EKU. Moberly is a vice-president at the school.

A house committee approved a bill that would allow future gubernatorial candidates to wait until after the primary election to pick their running mates. Current law requires the candidates to list their Lt. Governor selection when they file to run. But Rep. Tommy Thompson says that's a bad system, limiting a candidate's choices of running mates. He says the federal system, where a candidate for president picks his/her V.P. after winning the party's nomination, is a much better system. Thompson says his bill would allow a party's nominee to pick one of his/her losing challengers to be on the ticket with them for the fall election. It could also allow a governor running for reelection to keep his Lt. Gov. on the ticket for the primary then dump him/her before the general election. Thompson didn't really answer a reporter who asked whether he might be interested in being Lt. Governor.