The Des Moines Register gave Democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell about as weak an endorsement as possible in the third district race today:

After 12 years of light accomplishment and wrongheaded votes, Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell doesn’t deserve to return to Congress.

But his Republican challenger, Kim Schmett of Clive, also fails to make a compelling case that he deserves a congressional seat.

Iowans deserve better.

However, the Register’s editorial board subscribes to the philosophy that if voters must decide, so must we. So the Register gives a weak nod to Boswell, with a list of expectations:

Among their expectations is one big one: that this should be Boswell’s final term in Congress.  Although rumors that Boswell plans to retire have circulated since 2004, the congressman has made no commitments of his own since breaking his self-imposed four-term limit that year.

During this year’s primary campaign, the Register endorsed Boswell’s opponent, Ed Fallon, who lost by double digits.