That will be the topic of party caucuses during next Wednesday's interim session.

"Without the governor being the motivating factor, it's a big question — where do we go from here?" Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said. One option, he said, is letting income tax reform go the way of the governor's proposed repeal of the corporate income tax.

"That's a possible outcome," Valentine said. Still, the Senate leader said he didn't think Huntsman was trying to shift pressure to get a tax cut through to the Legislature. "The governor is a stand-up guy. He did the right thing by going to the public."

Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, said he didn't believe Huntsman was hurt politically by the error. The governor was "pretty good about saying this was a mistake, and he didn't try to weasel around it," Jowers said.

As for whether Huntsman's decision to cancel the special session was intended to prod lawmakers, Jowers said that would "just be another item on the plus side of putting it off because if they really want it, they can come to (him) now."

Huntsman continued Thursday to insist he'll take as much time as he needs to feel comfortable with the price tag for his income tax reform plan before bringing it back to lawmakers, even if that means waiting until the 2007 Legislature convenes next January.

The governor said he didn't take into account the political implications of his decision on lawmakers. "I don't see things through the prism of politics and elections. I don't think it's useful at all," he said. "You just launch forward with what you think is right for the citizens and good public policy longer-term and then you live with the consequences."

---

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com