Mayor Jeff Graham is the Bill Clinton of campaign surrogates, except without the sterling Democratic National Convention speech.

He supports Republican Matt Doheny in his effort to unseat Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh. But he's not afraid to criticize Mr. Doheny's campaign.

Which is why it wasn't exactly a surprise to me when I couldn't get a good, canned statement from him about what House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's visit to Watertown could mean to Mr. Doheny's campaign.

"I don't know," Mr. Graham said. "I'm just pleased to host" someone of such great importance, Mr. Graham said.

Then he said he might have had more in common with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, whose parents were bar owners.

After the event, Mr. Graham wrote: "Frankly, I privately questioned brining in icons of an unpopular Congress and that's why there is no Nancy Pelosi at the Crystal Restaurant.... However, at least Matt's not embarassed by his friends."

Well, maybe not some of them.

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