Politics As Unusual

OK, so the last presidential election didn't solve all our problems. Barack Obama's ascendancy to the White House has created a seismic shift in the halls of Congress, events which have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Here's a rundown:

• Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, facing federal charges of conspiracy and bribery in--among other things--allegedly trying to sell Obama's Senate seat, chose to make TV appearances in New York while his impeachment trial got underway back in the state capitol of Springfield. He and his attorney are boycotting the trial because the Illinois Legislature won't let him use witnesses who might be used to testify in a federal courtroom. There was Blagojevich Monday, pleading his case on nearly every talk show from Today and The View in the morning (why was the Governor in the studio being interviewed by Barbara Walters on a video screen? That looked weird.) to Larry King in the evening. He admitted that the Illinois Legislature could vote to kick him out, and that he once considered Oprah Winfrey for the Senate job before nominating someone else (she said she wasn't interested). Why is Governor Blagojevich doing this? We realize that he's innocent until proven guilty, but he's not attracting much sympathy in his home state and beyond. He's making a sad spectacle of himself that only hurts his cause.
• And the person New York Governor David Paterson chose to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate is . . . Kirsten Gillibrand, a previously unknown second-term Congresswoman. Caroline Kennedy had to drop out for reasons best left to the National Enquirer, and Andrew Cuomo was passed over for whatever reason. Gillibrand is a Democrat whose positions tend to be to the right of the party's mainstream. Whether she is seen as more than a seat-warmer in the Senate until the 2010 election depends on how she handles the job, which is never easy considering who she's replacing.
• In Minnesota, one long, boring process has been replaced by another long, boring process. The Great U.S. Senate recount between Norm Coleman and Al Franken has moved to the state Supreme Court, where a three-judge panel will determine once and for all (we think) whether Franken's 225-vote lead should stand. We should have a decision by . . . where's Jeane Dixon when you really need her? Meanwhile, Democrat Amy Klobuchar has been doing double duty as the state's only Senator, and that's really not fair to the constituents. Is there any good legal reason why Governor Tim Pawlenty couldn't name an interim senator? Maybe he just didn't want to emulate Blagojevich.