In the spirit of rare bipartisan comity, nearly the entire Minnesota delegation to Congress gathered in the same room to break bread together Tuesday, just hours before President Obama's State of the Union address. While not entirely unprecedented, the luncheon in Room 1302 Longworth – next to the Agriculture Committee room – was the first time in four years that congressional Republicans and Democrats from Minnesota all gathered as a group. "It's for the good of the state," said host and Blue Dog Democrat Collin Peterson, now the dean of the Minnesota delegation. "We don't have all the answers, and they don't have all the answers. We're not plotting against each other." Hot Dish noticed (but did not partake in) a succulent buffet of sweet and sour pork, beef padthai, chicken cashew, padthai shrimp, and mixed veggies. Everyone from the delegation at least made an appearance, with the exception of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a DFLer who sent her regrets along with chief of staff Jonathan Becker. While there was no official business on the agenda, Peterson brought up the idea of coming up with a bipartisan congressional redistricting map. Rep. John Kline, the ranking Republican in the room, said he'd be willing to work on it with him. No doubt, political operatives on both sides of the fence back in Minnesota have other ideas. Either way, Peterson is vowing to hold these bipartisan luncheons once a month -- a definite break from tradition. The last delegation lunch was hosted in 2007 by recently-defeated Democrat Jim Oberstar, then the dean of the Minnesota delegation. Lot of good it did him.
