Blast From The Past

One name being kicked around as interim replacement for Ted Kennedy's seat is, of all people, Michael Dukakis.

Marc Ambinder and others are reporting that Michael Dukakis is the most likely placeholder Senator should the Massachusetts legislature grant Deval Patrick the power to make a temporary appointment until a special election can be held for Ted Kennedy's seat. That makes sense to me. Ambinder, however, raises the possibility that Patrick might pick an up-and-coming Democratic pol for the job and thus give him or her a major leg up in the special election. I don't see that happening--not only because Patrick isn't Blago, but also because Kennedy, before his death, specifically requested that Patrick receive an "explicit personal commitment" from his appointee not to seek the seat on a permanent basis if the legislature grants Patrick that power. It would be politically disastrous for Patrick to go against Kennedy's wishes.

Ted Kennedy was a very shrewd and intelligent man, and I don't see Gov. Patrick pulling a Blago either, he'd be annihilated for it. But Michael Dukakis? Granted, he's the closest thing to a non-Kennedy elder statesman the Bay State has, but you know the GOP is going to attack the guy rather mercilessly.

Of course, maybe that's the point. We know the GOP will attack whoever is appointed for being a hypocrite, and we know they will continue to insist that anything the Democrats do will be "exploiting Kennedy's death". Let the GOP be the ones politicizing Kennedy's passing then by attacking for political gain.