Brian Schweitzer, Montana’s Democratic governor, gets so much national press attention? Quotes like this (not to mention the bolo) have something to do with it.

Schweitzer, who stood out in the crowd with his bolo tie and penchant for greeting a stranger as “cowgirl,” hopes to make a name for himself by focusing on energy independence. “This place,” he said dismissively, gesturing around the hotel lobby where the governors were meeting. “Washington, D.C., is as if everyone has their feet in concrete. OK, the Democrats take back the Senate and the House. Boy, big things are happening. All that’s really happening here is that people have to hire some Democratic lobbyists. It just swings the ball back and forth as if it’s a big game. And it’s not a big game. This is about families across America sending the next generation to secure an oil supply for another dictator.”