I got a note yesterday from a close watcher of Capitol events asking whether the Dean Johnson story is being blown out of proportion.

I won't use this person's name, but here's part of the note:

I'm not disputing it's worth covering. I'm just wondering if it's drop-everything-else-slap-on-the-front-page-everyday type of story. The GOP is lovin' it cuz they can dribble out a bit everyday and keep it in the news. Then they send out news releases quoting mainstream sources to add heft to it all.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty may be thinking the same thing. Look at what MPR's Tom Scheck reported:

Gov. Pawlenty chose diplomacy over denunciation when asked about the troubles plaguing the top Democrat in the Legislature. Pawlenty said Dean Johnson made a big mistake and apologized for it. The governor says that's good enough for him

"From my standpoint, it should be handled like this: Sen. Johnson has admitted that he's not been truthful. He's asked for forgiveness and second chance. We should give it to them and we should move on," he said.

The state Republican party says it won't move on. Neither will the groups who want the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions on the November ballot. About 1,000 people rallied at the Capitol Tuesday. Many said they would pray for the Senate to take a vote on the issue, as Scheck reported:

Pastor Wes Wheatley of Minneapolis says it's problematic if gays are allowed to marry as they can in Massachusetts.

"We are opening the door to untold destructive evils for our next generation," he said. "The concept of mother and father and child will be gone forever."

The religious element of the debate raises a couple of questions. If the Senate doesn't vote on the amendment, does it mean God didn't hear the prayer or that He just chose to ignore it? And if God doesn't like gay people, why did He make so many of them? I'll leave it to more learned minds than mine to try to answer those.

Opponents of the proposed amendment have their own rally set for Thursday morning at the Capitol. And Dean Johnson will be on Midday Wednesday where he will no doubt have more to say about the whole situation.

So back to the original question: are we making too much of the Dean Johnson story? I don't think so. Everybody knew this gay marriage issue would be a big one going into the session, and it's not every day a Supreme Court Chief Justice calls reporters to deny something the majority leader said. Sure the GOP is using the story for its own purposes, but certainly the DFL would too if the situation were reversed.

I think the Dean Johnson angle may be winding down, but for many people the gay marriage debate is just beginning. Yes, there are other things happening at the Capitol. Some of them are more important, some are less important (the Olympics bid?). But I don't think this one has been overplayed.