In New York, Gov. David Paterson seems under increasing pressure to name Caroline (Ya Know) Kennedy to replace Hillary Clinton.
All manner of backroom maneuvering is alleged there, but don't sell Paterson short. He's surprised people (friend and enemy alike) before. Yet for almost comic idiocy and incompetence, nothing beats the charade now going on to replace President-Elect Barack Obama.
Let's be clear at the outset. There are enough bad actors in this scenario to make the late Ed Wood smile.
Inarguably the list begins with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Allegedly trying to sell a Senate seat is bad enough. Getting caught talking about it in vulgar wiretaps is (or should be) embarrassing. Refusing to step down while your case is adjudicated is chutzpah squared. But then, Blago actually appoints someone to the seat. Said appointment, Roland Burris,accepts the appointment, and actually tries to present credentials in Washington, only to have them rejected. Are you laughing yet?
And that's only the half of it. Democrats, in both Illinois and Washington, seem determined to give this seat to the opposition. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for reasons best known only to himself, contacts Blagojevich before the firestorm of his arrest erupts. He lobbies Blago for his preferred replacement, according to published reports, and proceeds to badmouth three other possible choices. Trouble is, all the choices are black. Seems Reid didn't think any of them could hold the seat in the next election. Someone please call me the next time someone tells Harry Reid who can win an election in his home state of Nevada, and he actually pays attention.
Then there are the Illinois Democrats themselves. They're about as scared of losing that Senate seat as Harry Reid is. However, their bumbling has given Rod Blagojevich the wiggle room needed to appoint Roland Burris. They were gun shy about calling a special election, and taking immediate steps to oust Blago. Now it's costing them in the court of public opinion. I can almost see the Republican ads when the seat does come up for an actual election. "Don't let Harry Reid and the Democrat Party tell you who your next Senator should be. Vote for (fill in the blank, most likely Paul Kirk)". After the majority leader's reported meddling, even some black folks in Chicago might pay attention to that one.
So now it supposedly comes to the rule of law, and whether the Senate can legally bar Roland Burris. Taking no chances, the former Illinois Attorney General played the God Card this past weekend. Speaking at a church, Burris invoked the Almighty, telling a God fearing congregation that the Lord had touched Rod Blagojevich, and that's how he, Burris, was chosen. Yep, it's come to that. A career politician says (with a straight face) that a foul mouthed benefactor was touched by God to make a political decision.
Yes, Rod Blagojevich is innocent until proven guilty. But what about the other players in the sad tale? Can the Democrats get past their own ham handed attempts to resolve this? And what of Barack Obama? Can he continue to remain above a fray in his own home state?
Is this a blip on the screen, or a harbinger of problems to come for the party now in power?
Update......Update......Update!!!!
The Lord must truly work in mysterious ways! If God touched Rod Blagojevich, as Roland Burris said the other day, what's to explain Harry Reid's change of heart? He's gone from "We won't seat him" to "He's a nice man", from the guy who threw Burris out into the rain to the guy who invited him in for a chat. Burris met with Reid and Dick Durbin today, and now there seems to be the possibility that he could be seated in the Senate after all. A few things need to happen, but what appears to have happened is somebody called Harry Reid a racist and he didn't like it much.
Ahhhh, politics!
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