President Bush is known for reaching out to his audience when he travels the country, sprinkling local references throughout his speeches.
So it was no surprise that he opened last week's speech at the 3M Co. world headquarters in Maplewood, Minn., with a reference to what may be the company's most famous product.
"Got to take my 'Post-it' note off my speech here," he began, then slapped the square yellow paper to the front of the podium, near the presidential seal. Hundreds of 3M employees applauded.
Disaster followed and the 3M workers groaned. The note did not stick, floating to the floor.
"My fault," Bush snapped, realizing his audience approval was sinking along with the yellow paper. "I should have cleaned off the podium."
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The light-hearted incident warmed the audience to listen to Bush's 39-minute speech promoting innovation.
Unbalanced board?
The Politics in Minnesota newsletter points out what could be a political gaffe by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
When the governor named 15 Minnesotans to serve on the new Faith and Community Initiatives Council, none was a Lutheran or Catholic, the newsletter says, adding: "One pastor we know estimates that on any given Sunday, 85 percent of those attending church in our state are Lutherans or Catholics."
Coleman leads prayer
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., helped the annual National Prayer Breakfast rise out of controversy last week.
Coleman became the first Jewish co-chairman of the event at President Bush's request. Some Jewish leaders had complained that the event was becoming too Christian oriented.
JOBZ praised
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A report prepared by Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration says the governor's top rural economic development program added $70 million in annual wages in the past year.
The Employment and Economic Development Department says Minnesota's new Job Opportunity Building Zones program helped create 2,600 jobs by giving new and expanding businesses tax cuts.
