Dan Zeidler is feeling, well, not disappointed in Sen. Herb Kohl. He sounds like he's straining really hard not to be disappointed.

Zeidler, who lives in Wauwatosa, is a pro-life activist, mainly with Latin American human rights groups. He showed up at Marquette University in September, where Kohl made a rare appearance before his public on the subject of health care. Zeidler feels he got Kohl to promise something, a promise on which Zeidler says he's been stiff-armed ever since.

Not to reveal low expectations, but as Zeidler explained all this, I kept thinking, "What did you expect?"

"I take him to be a sincere and honorable person," Zeidler said of Kohl.

Yes, but such company he keeps: More on that in a minute.

What Zeidler asked Kohl was a reasonable...