Kansas City News Blog

By JUSTIN KENDALL

The top-hat- and monocle-wearing writers of Esquire issued endorsements for every federal and gubernatorial race in their November issue. They recommend some usual suspects (Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Dennis Moore) and some dark horse candidates (Kay Barnes and Jim Slattery).

They also love them some Ike Skelton, who they name one of the 10 best lawmakers.

"Even before the Iraq war -- which he supported -- Skelton warned that the challenge was not winning the fight but controlling the aftermath," Esquire writes. "Whoever wins the White House would do the nation a favor by listening to his 30-plus years of wisdom."

Other Esquire picks:

Jay Nixon for Missouri governor. Esquire calls the race "a choice between two excellent candidates." Retiring Rep. Kenny Hulshof gets good marks for standing "up to the arrogant powermongering of Tom DeLay." But Nixon gets the nod for being "powerful prosecutor of street and white-collar crime."

Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes over Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, who they say is lazy. "Laziness is Graves's defining characteristic," Esquire writes. "Lazily, he rubber-stamps White House policies. Lazily, he repeats lazy Republican mantras. Lazily, he supports big-government handouts to lazy gentlemen-farmers like himself."

Across the state line, Esquire picks Democrat Jim Slattery, known for his bare-bottom campaign ads, over Kansas U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. "As then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Roberts steadfastly defended the CIA as clean on torture and the NSA as clean on wiretapping -- and just as steadfastly dragged his feet on investigating prewar intelligence failures for the tawdriest of reasons: to protect the White House," Esquire writes. "His opponent, a moderate former congressman, will do better."

Esquire wonders what platform Lynn Jenkins, a Republican, is running on against incumbent Rep. Nancy Boyda, a "pro-choice, antitax, pro business" Democrat who they like.

Rep. Jerry Moran gets high marks for speaking out against the Bush administration for cutting Medicare and promoting the ethanol "industry while seeking to protect Kansas's stockyards."

So does Donald Betts in his race against Kansas Rep. Todd Tiahrt. "Tiahrt, knee-deep in Abramoff and DeLay cash, deserves to be dumped for this sin alone," Esquire muses. "But let's keep things positive: His opponent is as accomplished a state legislator as you'll ever find."