Politics

ST. PAUL (AP) ― State Sen. Steve Murphy has been itching to take down Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau. For years. Not just since the Interstate 35W bridge fell.

Murphy may finally get his wish when the Minnesota Senate votes on whether to fire Molnau. A confirmation vote on her appointment was tentatively planned for Thursday.

The 50-year-old former Marine didn't want to wait this long. As head of the Senate Transportation Committee, Murphy made the case against Molnau four years ago. After the Aug. 1 bridge collapse, he promised to remove her on the first day of session. By his own account, Democratic leaders pulled him back so they could focus on passing a transportation spending plan over Gov. Tim Pawlenty's objections.

"Looks like they were right," Murphy said Wednesday, looking somewhat chastened.

He added: "I'm a Marine. We get things done. They say charge the hill, you charge the hill. They told me you're in charge of transportation -- get something done. I've not been a wild bull in a china shop, but there's sometimes when that desire to get the work done kind of, you know -- I might have been a little overzealous getting there."

His vehemence attracts notice. Just ask his critics. Or his friends.

"He's kind of like a human barometer," said Myra Peterson, a Washington County commissioner who admires Murphy. "You can tell when he's angry because he starts getting red at his neck and it goes up."

Republican Sen. Gen Olson, who frequently clashes with Murphy, said he uses "a lot of bluster to drive home his point. Whether it's always right on target or not doesn't necessarily make a difference."

Murphy sometimes plays it cool. He was like that on the opening day of session earlier this month, when he and other Democrats unveiled their piece de resistance -- the multi-billion-dollar transportation spending package that ultimately became law, after trims and adjustments and a historic override of Pawlenty's veto.

That morning, the senator from Red Wing strolled into the room holding a coffee mug, turned to face the cameras and calmly took a sip before speaking. It was a more relaxed performance than any of his colleagues turned in.

Still, sometimes Murphy lets loose. He's been known to deliver a tirade or two on the floor of the Senate, particularly when talk turns to traffic safety and highway deaths.

As the Senate's point man on transportation, Murphy has become a frequent target of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, which recently urged its adherents to tell legislators to "stick their $5 billion in new taxes and fees up Senator Murphy's eco-friendly tailpipe."

Last month, a cartoon in the Red Wing Republican Eagle depicted Murphy as a Nazi who wanted to round up Republican bridge engineers. Murphy called the drawing "un-American."

He said he doesn't mind criticism as long as the facts are right.

For all the fire involved in this year's transportation debate, Murphy said he went through worse as a first-term senator in 1994 when he sponsored a bill allowing his employer, Xcel Energy, to store radioactive waste at its Prairie Island nuclear plant. Back then, he said, he got death threats and dead animals left on his property.

That legislation was approved, and another nuclear waste storage bill he sponsored passed in 2003, but Murphy faced a conflict-of-interest complaint and a recall drive. Both were dismissed, and the state ended up covering Murphy's legal costs for fighting the recall petition.

Republican Sen. Steve Dille worked closely with Murphy on the nuclear waste legislation, one of the most contentious issues the Legislature had handled to that point. The two are frequent political allies.

"He's the only guy I know who can run a marathon and still smoke cigarettes," Dille said with a laugh.

He produced a cartoon Murphy drew for him during a Senate floor debate three years ago. It shows two mice praising the speech Dille gave that day: "Too bad more folks don't think like him," one says.

But Dille and Murphy don't think alike when it comes to Molnau, who doubles as lieutenant governor.

"I think he could be a little kinder," said Dille, R-Dassel, who said Molnau may not be perfect but deserves a second chance. "I would be more kind and forgiving if I was in his shoes."

Murphy doesn't waver. He admits his timing may not be perfect and his style -- "a combination of Marine and Irish" -- too combative, but he insists Molnau should go. He said the Minnesota Department of Transportation needs a new leader with an engineering or related background who can redirect the agency after too many lean years.

"On this one, I know I'm right," Murphy said. "We do need a new commissioner."

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According to a Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Web site, Molnau was born and raised on a farm in Carver County. She attended Waconia public schools and the University of Minnesota.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)