The December 4th Star Tribune article begins, "It isn't easy being CEO of a public company." The business section's ode to Minneapolis-based Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, which describes the executive as "always classy," was a public display of affection Minnesotans stereotypically avoid.

The author makes little mention of the recent revelations of gay-friendly Target's long-standing support for many of the most openly anti-gay politicians. Of these donations, the Star Trib says only, "The worst one could say about this incident is that Steinhafel may have been naive. But he admitted his mistake and reaffirmed the company's long-standing support for gay rights."

According to documents filed [...]

News that negotiations between Target and the Human Rights Campaign have fallen apart is disappointing, if not surprising. HRC's demands were simple and reasonable. Target's best chance to salvage some of its reputation on gay rights would have cost it pocket change, just $150,000. The HRC had a great interest in the deal as well; they'd get to combat the view that they're inefficient. So what happened? It's possible that MoveOn.org's involvement scared Target from the table.

And also, with new information we've found on Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, it's reasonable to believe a pro-gay equality donation was spiritually distasteful anyway.

The end result is that money [...]

When Target's CEO said he was "sorry" last week for his company's donation to anti-gay causes, AP, CBS, TPM, AOL and a number of other acronyms declared that Target had apologized for its political donations. Yet, anyone who had ever had an intense fight with a spouse or lover knew the "I'm sorry it made you feel that way" nopology when they heard it. A deeper look at Target's Gregg Steinhafel, his political team, and his engagement with anti-gay Christian organizations may explain why the CEO's actions and statements on supporting gay equality don't mesh-and why they probably won't anytime soon.