I happened to be trolling the net this morning and saw that the Billings Gazette was streaming a meeting between Congressman Denny Rehberg and the members of the Montana State Fireman’s Association. The Fireman’s Association was holding their 121st Annual Convention in Billings.

So I watched it. You can watch it here, too. Later in the day, the Gazette followed up the video with a story. You can read it here.

I had commented before about this being politics as normal in Montana after Rehberg Ranch LLC filed a civil complaint against the City of Billings and Billings Fire Department about the handling of a 2008 fire on his property – basically asking for information about why management removed firefighters when the blaze was contained at 10 acres. Later, the fire flared up and consumed about 1200 acres.

I would think most people would want to know why. I know I would. It was also important for Rehberg to talk face to face with those being used as political footballs and explain to them his reasons for the civil complaint, and he did.

Most of us remember that the firefighters were used this same way in the 2006 Montana Senate race and look what it got them.

The Gazette reported that Rehberg told the firefighters:

“I apologize that this has become a political issue,” Rehberg said. “Welcome to my world, because everything I say, everything I do, every action that I take ends up being in a political scene when you’ve got a campaign and you’ve got candidates that are willing to say and do anything.

Kind of reminds me of the song, “Every Breath You Take.”

Political observers may remember the Montana Democratic Party (MDP) and Rehberg’s opponent, Dennis McDonald, came out with both barrels blazing after this story became public to try to turn the tide in what most political observers believe is a losing campaign on McDonald’s part.

After watching the video and reading the article, I wonder what the MDP and McDonald will do next. They are opportunists, I will give that to them. Will they continue this course? If they do, they must think the firefighters are pretty foolish not to understand that this civil complaint has nothing to do with them, but with the management (the City of Billings, the City Administrator and the Fire Chief) and not the firefighters.

I’m sure the local firefighters union has had some problems with management in the past (maybe during labor negotiations) and understands completely the bureaucracy in the top echelon of the city.

Nevertheless, this issue has probably been put to rest in most people’s minds. We’ll see if the MDP and McDonald continue to beat the dead horse or maybe move on to more important things, like the two wars being fought, the high unemployment rate, and the out-of-control spending that has sky-rocketed since their party has controlled Congress and the White House.

Then again, maybe they don’t want to talk about the important issues.