Sen. Mansfield and turning red states into blue

I spotted this new biography coming out about Senator Michael Mansfield at SAIS (former stomping grounds of Paul Wolfowitz). Highly worth reading i think.

Amazon review

I was embarassed to say i had never heard of the guy. And reading more about him made me ashamed that i hadn't. a true gentleman of conscience, who helped lead the fight for Civil Rights, warned about the perils of Vietnam and good friend to Montanans.

Here's an obituary summing up his accomplishments
http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,565054,00.html

Since I am taking a class on US foreign policy at SAIS, it got me thinking that many of the great liberals on foreign policy were Democrats from what are now solid red states: Frank Church, Idaho, McGovern from S. Dakota and now Mansfield. Is there any hope in those states of reverting them back to blue?

these stories, about coalitions of ranchers, enviros, property owners battling the Bushies is a start, i think:

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/01/30/opinion/opinion6.txt

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Jan/01292004/utah/133673.asp

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-mesa11feb11,1,6618292.story?coll=la-home-nation