When Louis Brandeis praised the 50 states as "laboratories of democracy," he didn't claim that every policy experiment would work. So we hope the eyes of America will turn to Wisconsin, and the effort by Madison Democrats to make that "progressive" state a Petri dish for government-run health care.

This exercise is especially instructive, because it reveals where the "single-payer," universal coverage folks end up. Democrats who run the Wisconsin Senate have dropped the Washington pretense of incremental health-care reform and moved directly to passing a plan to insure every resident under the age of 65 in the state. And, wow, is "free" health care expensive.

  This could be an opportunity for a real Constitutionalist to lead the Badger State back to the light, as Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has announced he will not seek re-election next year. Better yet, he says he does not want to be considered for any positions within President Barack Obama's
administration at this time.

  He said he would have preferred to wait but delaying the announcement would have made it difficult for Democratic candidates.  To his credit,  Doyle said he has long felt that executives shouldn't serve more than two terms.

  A field of Republicans has already been shaking itself out -- with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann of Nashotah and Appleton businessman Mark Todd running.