Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

During Tim Johnson Watch's hiatus, several other local bloggers have been covering Mr. Johnson:

• The Agitated American describes Tim Johnson's hit-and-run "debate" with his opponent, David Gill, where Johnson defended the status quo medical system and then left before Dr. Gill spoke to make the case for universal national healthcare. (Of course, as Paul Krugman pointed out this week, Republicans like the federal government to pay for healthcare when they're overpaying for drugs to big pharmacy companies, but they hate it when they're delivering inexpensive, effective health-care, as the Veterans Administration does post-Clinton.)

• Philosophe Forum asks "Where Is Tim Johnson?" and introduces TJW to local blogger Pinky Wink, who wants to know "What exactly does Tim Johnson do?"

• The conservative IlliniPundit asks, "Is Tim Johnson 'Coasting'?" and wonders, "While I don’t necessarily expect the congressman from central Illinois to be the most powerful man in the house, should we expect more in his third term?"

• Ol' Guy reports that Gill signs outnumber Johnson signs in his Republican neighborhood.