Yes, the first 16 months under Gov. Jesse Ventura have certainly been, uh, er, ahem. What we mean to say is that the Ventura Era has redefined, well... Let's be frank: In the governor-as-celebrity age of Ventura, about the only thing that seems different from politics-as- usual is the insane amount of press coverage devoted to one bald-headed state official. If we had to pick a favorite of the myriad goober-natorial media events, it would have to be the media circus staged on January 7 at the Northland Inn just off I-694 in fabulous Brooklyn Park, arguably the left buttock of Ventura's political base. Ostensibly a fundraiser for Ventura's campaign committee, this was viewed at the time--time flies, eh?--as something of a major national political event. The pair took turns praising each other in a dance that seemed designed only to anoint Trump via association with Ventura and vice versa. The Goob drew parallels between himself and the uncharismatic billionaire: "This candidate may not fit the mold," he riffed. "Neither did I." Trump kissed Ventura's backside ("The man's a winner") while unconvincingly professing, "I've gone through some tough times." Yah. In short order, Ventura was no longer a member of the national Reform Party and Trump had abandoned his White House quest. Which left the media to wonder exactly why they had bothered to show up in the first place.