No, not for being boring.

The record our Democratic governor is staking claim to can't be measured yet is hugely important during tough economic times.

"You probably saw more bipartisan standing up and clapping than ever before, " Doyle told the State Journal editorial board on Friday.

He might be right.

Both sides of the aisle in the Assembly chambers during the governor 's annual address Wednesday night were enthusiastic about much if not most of Doyle 's agenda.

That 's because Doyle prioritized popular initiatives and spent little time picking fights. He touted a strong economy, renewable energy and health care reform that "draws from the best Democratic ideas and the best Republican ones. "

Doyle also has little money for anything new and exciting. State tax collections are slowing, and it 's not a budget year. The biggest state decisions during 2008 will probably center on where and how to trim government spending -- something neither the Democrats nor the Republicans want to talk about in specifics.

One of the few moments of stark disagreement Wednesday night came when Doyle called for raising the state minimum wage. Yet this came off as more of a goodwill gesture to Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, than anything else. Decker, who has made the minimum wage a top priority, won his leadership position last fall in part because Senate Democrats felt Doyle was ignoring them.

Even when Doyle 's speech Wednesday turned to stem cells and raising teacher salaries, plenty of Republicans liked what they heard.

Social conservatives used to scowl at the work of UW-Madison stem cell scientist James Thomson, whom Doyle introduced during his speech. But Thomson has quickly become a pro-life hero for reverting human skin cells back to their embryonic state. The technique should eventually allow researchers to develop better drugs and even cures for disease without destroying -- or even using -- embryos.

On teacher salaries, Democrats cheered Doyle 's call for raising pay in the next state budget. Republicans applauded for a different reason. They liked Doyle 's endorsement of merit pay, long a GOP priority.

Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, said he interpreted Doyle 's comments on teacher salaries as a "huge hint " that Doyle is finally ready to overhaul the state 's broken system for financing K-12 education.

"You can 't pay teachers more without redoing the whole system, " Schultz said. "There's hope " in Doyle 's comments.

Doyle said Friday that Schultz is right. But redoing school financing in a way that preserves equality in education and doesn 't hike property taxes won 't be easy, he added.

Success will require cooperation and a strong economy -- two things Doyle is smart to champion.

Milfred is editorial page editor for the State Journal; smilfred@madison.com or 608 252-6110.