Did Gov. Tim Pawlenty make a mistake by calling lawmakers back so soon? You've probably heard by now that Pawlenty called the Legislature back into special session one minute after they adjourned the regular session. It played well on the early TV news. "Get back to work," he said. But will it help get a deal done on the budget? Maybe not, according to MPR's Laura McCallum:

Gov. Pawlenty says he decided to call a special session immediately so that Legislators wouldn't go home and forget about the need to finish the budget.

"If you're all here having your schedules disrupted with vacations and family commitments and job commitments and they're all barking at each other, that by itself becomes a pressure point," he said.

If the Legislature can't agree on a new two-year budget by July 1, some state programs and services will shut down. Since July 1 is considered the next deadline, many lawmakers are grumbling about the governor's decision to call them back immediately.

DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson of Willmar says Pawlenty should have waited a few days.

"We've been here essentially for four and a half months, five to six days a week, and with Memorial Day simply around the corner, I thought it would have been smarter to allow us to have some time off," Johnson said.

Similar sentiments are heard in the Star Tribune's story:

Meanwhile, some Republican legislators fretted openly about the prospect of a "runaway" special session. That's because while only the governor can call a special session, only legislators can agree to end one.

"I don't know if it was the most wise decision," House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, said Monday night. "Once a [special] session is called, it has its own life. I have significant concerns about a runaway session. But the governor has called, and I support him. The House will be here."

And while there will no doubt be a series of stories featuring ordinary Minnesotans griping about the Legislature's inability to get its work done, the Star Tribune editorial page takes a "glass half full" view of the ninth special session in 11 years:

Irritation with another lawmaking session going into overtime is understandable. But Minnesotans should also understand this: The issues that remain to be resolved at the Capitol -- education, transportation and human services funding, and the taxes to pay for them -- are the big, thorny ones. They are central to the challenge state government confronts in the next several decades: How can Minnesota best position itself to compete in a knowledge-based global economy, at a time when its population is both older and more diverse than ever before?

Wow, and I thought it was just income taxes versus cigarette fees. I need to start thinking bigger.

Away from the Capitol now to the 2006 campaign. The Associated Press reports America's most famous whistleblower is once again pondering a run for Congress:

Coleen Rowley is considering a race for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, the former FBI whistle-blower told The Associated Press Monday.

Rowley, 50, would run as a Democrat in the seat currently held by GOP Rep. John Kline. Kline's 2004 opponent, Teresa Daly, said she has not made a decision on whether to run again.

Rowley, who retired from the FBI last year, said she's spoken to people to get their input, both inside and outside of politics, but has been put off by some suggestions that she get a "makeover."

"I've butted heads with a few people - anyone who tells me I have to spruce up my hair and buy a new wardrobe," Rowley said, declining to identify the source of this unwanted advice. "I haven't worn makeup since I was 21. You have to be authentic and genuine in serving the populace."

It's good she's already thinking about the big issues. What's that got to do with the knowledge-based global economy?