It's starting to look fairly certain that Attorney General Mike Hatch will challenge Gov. Tim Pawlenty next year. Hatch isn't confirming his plan to run for governor, but he's sent a letter to DFL activists looking for support and money for a campaign.

Brian Bakst of the Associated Press broke the story:

The letter, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, began arriving in mailboxes of the DFL faithful in late December. Hatch said in an interview he hasn't made up his mind about whether to challenge Pawlenty, who is widely expected to seek a second four-year term.

But Hatch's letter does more than his public comments to stoke
the possibility.

"This will be the most important letter I will write in the
2006 campaign," Hatch begins. "Your response to it will tell me
what course I should take."

In it, Hatch builds the case that schools are suffering, health
insurance is eluding more people and job losses are continuing.
Without naming Pawlenty, Hatch attacks the administration's actions
as contributing to economic hardship.

"We have leaders in Minnesota today who govern by slogan and
ignore the duty to make our children's lives better than ours, just
as our parents did for us," Hatch wrote. "Our state deserves
more, and we can do better."

Hatch tells Bakst he's just "taking the temperature" of the party rank and file, and that it's too early to make any announcements. But he also says the people he sent the letter are "pretty animated about" the prospect of him running.

While some other Dems will no doubt be interested in running, as the only DFL constitutional officer he clearly has the inside track. On Thursday Hatch is releasing a plan to combat methamphetamine. Pawlenty released one of his own a few weeks ago.

As for the governor, he told the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Wednesday night he's ready to take some heat for cutting state health care programs. Laura McCallum of MPR had that story:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the budget he releases later this month will slow down the projected growth in health care spending to 20 percent. He said he'll be criticized for changing eligibility and trimming programs, but he says the state has to cut costs.

"In a few weeks I will be ripped apart for cutting spending, health and human service spending, as we propose to slow this down. It is true that some programs will be squeezed, some eligibilities will be proposed to be changed, but what we're going to do is slow down the increase from 27 percent to something closer to 20 percent. And I'm going to be called a Neanderthal," he said.

Oh, Mike Hatch will probably call him worse than that. Just give it a couple of months.

In the Star Tribune, Dane Smith raises the notion of a split in business support for Pawlenty:

Republican governors are accustomed to fighting off spending demands from teachers unions and social-service providers.

But Pawlenty finds his hands full this year dealing with an assortment of business pressure for more spending, which can lead to more taxing.

For almost two years, his unyielding resolve to not raise taxes has put him at odds with one of the chamber's top priorities: a commitment to "long-term funding" for transportation, and specifically, a 5-cents-per-gallon increase in the gas tax.

On other fronts, established associations such as the chamber have been joined by ad hoc business groups in calling for dramatic increases in investment -- a term used often by DFLers in lieu of "government spending" -- in transportation, early childhood care, and even environmental protection.

Having raised the notion of a split, Dane goes on to knock it down:

David Olson, the chamber's president, agrees that there is no widening rift. On a host of issues, ranging from the need for reduced regulation to opposition to general tax increases, they are united.

Here's an easy prediction. Business will back Pawlenty over Hatch no matter how much Hatch proposes raising the gas tax. When it comes to Pawlenty's pledge to protect businesses from tax increases versus Hatch's willingness to sue them, it's pretty clear where the interest groups will line up.

Finally, Cass Gilbert must have been the early 20th century version of Prince. The guy was everywhere, as demonstrated Wednesday when officials opened a time capsule originally placed in the University of Minnesota's anatomy building. This is from MPR's Toni Randolph:

The time capsule contained a letter that helped explain other items found in the box. Frank Cerra, the senior vice president for health sciences at the U, read it out loud.

"To the person who shall open this box deposited in the cornerstone of the institute of anatomy, Tuesday, September 5, 1911. Certain articles have been placed in this box for the purpose of preserving some local bits of university history for the use of future generations."

The letter goes on to talk about the cost of building the old facility -- about a half million dollars...and how the University secured money from the Legislature for construction -- over the course of 16 years, starting in 1895.

Some of the most precious items in the time capsule were drawings by St. Paul architect Cass Gilbert. One hundred years ago, he was well-known for designing the brand new state capital building. The drawings in the box were plans for the university campus. Much of the work never became reality, but Cerra says the drawings are very impressive.

"Those are absolutely priceless, and I think will be a wonderful part of the university and the Academic Health Center's archives."

A half million dollars for a whole building? Hard to believe it took 16 years to get THAT in the bonding bill!