Iowa Shall Issue

We're within four days of a decision on Iowa's shall-issue and reciprocity bill. When it was passed, overwhelmingly, the prevailing opinion was that signature by Gov. Culver was a no-brainer. He's as vulnerable as an unindicted politician can be, and antagonizing gun owners in a rural state seemed to make no political sense whatsoever.

The chatter now is about pocket veto. The bill must be signed by April 29 -- 30 days from passage -- or it dies. The NRA is concerned enough to have just sent a mailing urging calls to Culver's office.

One school of thought calls the thing a charade from the outset. That narrative has Democrats needing to give their rural incumbents a chance to cast a pro-gun vote without having to answer to their liberal base for an actual pro-gun law.

They delayed the vote until the final three days of the legislative session, kicking in the pocket veto provision which was part of the scheme, giving most every Democrat all the political cover needed.

Another theory is that Culver knows he is a dead duck no matter what he does, so he has nothing to lose by following his Hyannisport /Chicago inclinations.

The theory I like best is the one saying he'll sign it at the deadline and, meanwhile, is just having a good time keeping guys like us in a stew.