Sen. Mark Dayton has closed up shop in Washington. Had he not made such a production out of his escape to “the relative safety of Minnesota,” it is doubtful that anyone would have noticed his absence. He has accomplished nothing in the U.S. Senate and will now continue to do so at Fort Snelling.

He did, however, for the very first time in his career, send a clear and articulate message. He told our enemies that they have been successful in scaring some to the point of being unable to function in the nation’s capital. Personally, I feel much safer with Dayton hiding out in the old fort than I did with him anywhere in the vicinity of a governmental decision.