Dan Popkey of the Idaho Statesman has an interesting profile of Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian today, the new chairman of the House Transportation Committee who's been so low-key he's refused to even talk to reporters 'til now. You can read it here. Palmer was moved up into the chairmanship when House Speaker Lawerence Denney this year stripped two GOP moderates of their committee chairmanships as punishment for not voting with their leadership on procedural votes; they were Transportation Chairman Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, and Agriculture Chairman Tom Trail, R-Moscow.