Mercer's exit was a smart move

We congratulate Montana's U.S. attorney, Bill Mercer, for extricating himself from Washington, D.C., before sinking to its level.

Mercer had served his country ably for the last several years as both the U.S. attorney for Montana and as one of the top aides to the attorney general in Washington.

When the attorney general's office recently became the target of endless investigations by Democratic senators, Mercer was one of the heads that was expected to roll. The Senate had put off confirmation hearings for his new job as associate attorney general for months, and Democratic leaders made it clear they were unlikely to confirm him anyway because of his association with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

In a surprise move last week, Mercer quit the D.C. post and put the Senate in his rearview mirror.

Good for him. The entire investigation of the firing of U.S. attorneys has been politically motivated from the start, and there is no reason for Mercer to let the Democrats get some more fund-raising mileage out of their solemn sound bites as they grandstand for the moral high ground in the D.C. swamp.

If we want a government that works in Washington, we are going to have to restore some basic decency and respect for our civil servants. If we don't, then Bill Mercer will be one of many, many public officials who decide they just don't need the hassle.

In the meantime, Washington's loss will be Montana's gain. Although the U.S. attorney's office in Billings has been capably administered by Kurt Alme, it will only be better with Mercer back in town.

Flathead High School forensics wizards have piled up a lot of honors over the years: state title after state title, a host of individual state champions and even some national honors.

But Treza Hirsch and Neil Hilton went one step further: They finished first and second, respectively, in Impromptu Speaking at the National Forensic League tournament.

Hirsch won the national title by six points over teammate Hilton. And Hirsch got perfect scores from six of eight final-round judges (Hilton got perfect scores from the other two judges) to seal the first-ever national title for a Flathead High student.

Hirsch and Hilton both are 2007 graduates of Flathead and veterans of the storied speech and debate program there.

Hirsch added her national title to the two state titles - in Impromptu and Extemporaneous - that she won earlier this year.

Kudos for the impressive performances by both Hilton and Hirsch.

WE'RE SAD to see Red's Wines & Blues close its doors in downtown Kalispell. In just two years the restaurant had become a wonderful gathering spot and popular eatery. Owners Bill and Jana Goodman worked tirelessly to make Red's a hot spot and provided a wonderful venue for downtown.

But as those in the business well know, running a restaurant is grueling work and the burnout factor can be high. Operating an independently owned restaurant and making a profit is difficult these days. Another wonderful downtown restaurant, the Painted Horse Grille, closed awhile back because it couldn't hire a qualified chef.

On a positive note, in addition to our various old favorites, there are several new dining choices in the Flathead Valley. The HuHot Mongolian Grille is already a community favorite after being open just a little more than a month, Famous Dave's opened this week to good reviews, and later this month the Blue Canyon Kitchen opens in the Hilton Garden Inn. There's still a wide variety here to please our palates.