Speak to F. Jim up close and personal

Something you'd like to share with Congressman Sensenbrenner? Maybe on a topic like global warming, immigration, government spying, or the war in Iraq?

These are some whirlwind meetings, scheduled 45 minutes apart, so have your questions and comments ready:

Sensenbrenner will hold listening sessions at 11 a.m. Friday (Feb. 1) at Dousman Village Hall, 11:45 a.m. at Genesee Town Hall, 12:30 p.m. at Wales Village Hall, 2 p.m. at Nashotah Village Hall, 2:45 p.m. at Merton Town Hall, 3:30 p.m. at Merton Village Hall and 4:15 p.m. at Pewaukee Village Hall.

Sessions also are set for 9:30 a.m. Monday (Feb. 4) at Butler Village Hall, 10:30 a.m. at Lannon Village Hall and 11:15 a.m. at Sussex Village Hall. For more information, call his Brookfield office at (262) 784-1111.

Welcome to the real world

From the Politics Ain't Beanbag Department: A college political science prof who wanted to show the world how campaigns should work is getting a lesson in how they do. Journal Sentinel columnist Dan Bice reports:

Two Concordia University professors who launched a joint campaign this year are getting a big lesson in what happens when you mess with U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner.

It ain't pretty.

In fact, it's gotten downright nasty, with threats, name-calling and talk of backroom deals.

Clearly, this isn't how they draw it up in the textbooks.

The pair - political scientist Jeff Walz, a Democrat, and Jim Burkee, a Republican - garnered national attention with their plan to appear together and combine campaign literature in an effort to unseat Sensenbrenner, the veteran Menomonee Falls Republican.

The two said it was their goal to create a model for "what campaigns ought to look like."

But last month, Walz dropped out of the contest, leaving Burkee to go solo against the political heavyweight.

Burkee now finds himself embroiled in a heated and nasty dispute with Sensenbrenner and a big-time D.C. lobbyist.