Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee head, Howard Dean, recently said that President Obama’s people are out of touch with average Americans and they need to “spend some time outside Washington.”

Voila! This week Montana gets a couple of Cabinet Secretaries visiting: Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano have stops planned in Big Sky County (to get in touch with average Americans, I guess).

Tagging along with the two secretaries will be Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester.

Sebelius travels to Missoula on Monday, August 24, for a meeting around 12:45 and then on to Libby for a meeting at 4:00.

Napolitano travels to Montana Tuesday, August 24, and gives a speech in Chicago on August 26. A press release from DHS told us she is going to Great Falls, Havre, and Sunburst.

There was no word if the Secretaries are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend any fundraisers – for Senator Max Baucus or, since he is already campaigning, Senator Jon Tester. We’ll keep an eye out for an invitation.

Since Napolitano supposedly likes to hike and do some whitewater rafting, there’s no place better than Montana for that. Maybe she will take advantage of her time here and go hiking with Senator Baucus. It does not look like Senator Tester does much hiking.

One thing I don’t think Napolitano will do is pay a visit to the Port of Whitetail – affectionately called “The Port to Nowhere” to see first-hand what Senators Baucus and Tester convinced her agency to invest at first $15 million (later cut to $8 million) in, but we’ll see.

I don’t see a time listed for any town hall meetings with Napolitano.

But Napolitano will meet some of the marvelous Montana media, so maybe they will ask her:

-Did Senators Baucus and Tester pressure you to spend DHS money on the Port of Whitetail?

-Montana has well over 100,000 veterans; do you believe Veterans are right-wing extremists?

-Are you in favor of more gun-control laws?

-Are you still using the term “man-made disasters” to describe terrorist attacks?

-Who came up with the term “man-made disasters?”

-Since you initially said “the system worked” in regards to the terrorist attack on the Northwest Airlines flight Christmas Day in Detroit, what have you done, personally, to better acquaint yourself with security procedures and to be better informed before making silly public statements?

-With all the controversy surrounding several remarks you have made since you took office in January 2009, shouldn’t you just resign to prevent further embarrassment for the President?

Hopefully the Montana media will ask a few of these questions – since there are no public meetings with Napolitano for others to get the chance.

So, welcome to Montana, Madam Secretaries. I hope you enjoy your stay.