Like Barack Obama, Gov. Bill Ritter has trouble articulating when he can’t follow a script. On Monday, the O’Reilly Factor showed an on-the-street interview with Ritter, asking whether he would sign “Jessica’s Law,” a mandatory 25-year minimum sentence for sex offenders who prey on children.

Ritter at first tried to ignore the O’Reilly Factor reporter, then hastily barked some almost unintelligible jibberish (wherein he grew confused and referred to Colorado as a “country”) and then ran for cover through the nearest doorway.

Ironically, the Factor reporter posed the same questions to Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter (R) and to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) — both of whom engaged in a productive conversation and said they would support a 25-year minimum sentence for child sex offenders. Ironically, Freudenthal who, like Gov. Ritter is a former prosecuter and a Democrat, heartily endorsed mandatory minimum sentences.

Ritter explained, “We have the best sex offender laws in the country,” adding “There’s no other country (sic) that has more … harsh sex offender laws that Colorado.” Apparently, Vermont State Rep. Bill Lippert (D) would beg to differ. Lippert, the judiciary committee chairman who has been blamed for Vermont’s failure to pass Jessica’s Law, said that indeed his state has the toughest sex offender laws in the nation.

It seems our Democrat friends live on a planet where every child is above average and every state (or country) has the toughest sex offender laws.