If you plopped the two opinion page editors of the Detroit News and Free Press on the same dais, you would expect fireworks as they couldn't possibly agree on anything.

       After all the popular wisdom has the News, or the Ole Gray Lady as old-timers refer to her, as the more conservative of the two papers and the Freep leaning more to the left.

       Well come to find out Messer's Nolan Finley and Ron Dzwonkowski had a lot in common despite their philosophical predilections to the left and right.

       The scene was the 92^nd annual gathering of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan which does yeoman's work on presenting unbiased data on all things political and financial in Michigan.

       Finley and Dzwonkowski agree the race for president will be close in Michigan and they agree it will be difficult to poll for what impact "race" will have on the outcome.  Mr. D. believes if Barack Obama loses here it will because of race and experience.

       They also call on Obama and John McCain to name names now.  That is, reveal before the election whom they would pick for top cabinet posts including U.S. Treasurer, Secretary of Defense and State.  A majority of the 300 in the CRC audience applauded approval as well.

       They also concluded that charisma was not as important as experience in the White House dash.  While they got that wrong, they are entitled to their opinions.

       The editorial duo also give high marks to the new Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr. along with throwing cold water on a soon to be released recommendation allowing county government to raise their own revenue for roads.

       Less you think it was a total love-in, the Freep editor wants to change term limits and the News guy does not.  Finely wants no part of a rewrite of the state constitution in 2010, and Dzwonkowski does.

 

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