If it weren't for the honor . . .

The witness list for Brian Burke's upcoming trial is now public, and your humble scribe, Xoff, is one of 169 potential witnesses listed.

As the fellow said in the Mark Twain story, after being tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail, "If it weren't for the honor, I'd just as soon have walked."

Burke and his lawyers, and DA Brian Blanchard, certainly cast a wide net -- lobbyists, current and former legislators, Capitol staffers, a university president, the attorney general,political fundraisers, labor leaders, and sundry others.

It would be a great invitation list for a political fundraiser, except that Roth Judd of the Ethics Board is on the list, too.

Some of the names on the list suggest that Burke, charged with multiple counts of political corruption, may try an "everybody was doing it" defense. Others, presumably, are character witnesses to say Burke is a good guy.

I have no idea why I'm on the list, but I was put there by the defense, I am told. Burke's lawyers have never contacted me, even to say they were listing me, and they have no idea what I would say on the witness stand. I can't imagine anything I would say that could help him.

The Journal Sentinel's Capitol blog has more.