Any politician who stays in Washington, D.C., long enough will master the art of saying something while saying nothing. The congressman from Eastern Oregon, Greg Walden, is a master of the articulate non-statement.

Governors cannot afford such sleight of hand. After all, they are supposed to be leaders. We are also closer to them, physically. Congressmen can go to Washington to hide. Governors cannot.

It is unfortunate to see a penchant for non-speak develop so early in our Gov. Kate Brown.

Our sister newspaper the Capital Press sought to learn the position of Gov. Brown on the disputed proposal to create a national monument in Malheur County. The proposed monument is the Owyhee Canyonlands wilderness and conservation area.

Wrote the CP: “Here’s what (Brown’s) people said she said:

“While this is ultimately a federal decision, I have heard from many Oregonians with strong views about the Owyhee. There’s agreement as to the beauty and uniqueness of the Canyonlands and disagreement over whether a monument designation can best ensure those characteristics will be enjoyed for future generations. I have communicated those viewpoints to federal administration officials and will be closely following this issue in the months ahead.”

Huh? Brown conveyed the persona of a lawyer or TV news anchor. She does not present herself as a leader, as a governor.

On Jan. 7, this page made a similar observation about a comment that was relayed to us by Gov. Brown’s media person. The topic was a legislative proposal to have public employees contribute to their retirement, as private sector employees do. We wrote about the Public Employees Retirement System train wreck that is coming for school districts and city governments. Here was our response to Brown’s ambivalence.

“Gov. Brown’s response is a disappointment, because it contains no leadership. She sounds more like a lawyer or a news anchor — stating the obvious — than a governor. Where is Brown’s amazement that Oregon is the only state that requires no employee participation in retirement funding? Where is her anger about the pending horror in which school districts and cities will be decimated to pay for a phantom workforce of retirees?”

We then asked the question, “Why won’t Gov. Brown lead Oregon on PERS?

On the Owyhee Canyonlands, she does not have to lead. But acting like she is an umpire in the middle of the tennis court is an insult to Oregonians’ intelligence.

Brown is, of course, waiting for the election to be over. But our guess is that even then she will not lead Oregonians if she is asked to be at odds with public employee unions or the liberal Portland center of her electorate.

Even prior to her first election to office, Brown is becoming a big disappointment.