A Surplus of senators
It seems like everybody wants Larry Craig's job (including, apparently, Craig).
Craig has vacillated on whether or not he's actually going to resign, being almost Clintonesque in his manipulation of the "resignation" speech, but the truth is, after years of solid service, his effectiveness has totally evaporated. He should follow through with his resignation at the end of this month. Any time Doonesbury, Leno and Letterman make you the butt of their jokes, you're doomed, let alone the fact that his own party leadership has totally abandoned him.
And surprisingly, even people who were sympathetic to him a month ago, are much less so today because of his apparent about face. He needs to follow through with his resignation.
Should he actually resign in the next week, Gov. Butch Otter will select his replacement, and while Butch may have his own, private list, it seems there is no end to the number of people who have asked to be appointed to Craig's job.
Discounting people who've talked to him privately, and those who live out of state who say they'd be willing to move here to establish residency, the list of "formal" applicants includes: Jay Wilde of Glenns Ferry, a rancher who has never run for or held political office,
State Representative Scott Bedke of Oakley, Charles Cline of Lenore, Bob Cox of Boise, Steve Coyle of Star, Lawrence Gardner of Meridian, Brian Hefner of Nampa, Ben Jepson of Nampa, State Senator Mike Jorgenson of Coeur d'Alene, Thomas Kim of Island Park, David Leroy of Boise, Kent Marmon of Caldwell, State Representative Russ Mathews of Idaho Falls, State Senator John McGee of Caldwell, Christopher Patterson of Coeur d'Alene, Charles Pottenger of Lewiston, Blaine Price of Malad, Steven Ranstrom of Burley, Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch, State Representative Ken Roberts of Donnelly, State Senator Gary Schroeder of Moscow, Larry T. Smith of Nampa, Sheila Sorensen of Boise, Tom Stevenson of Gooding, Steven Thompson of Heyburn, Robert Vasquez of Canyon County, Jim Waite of Idaho Falls, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, and Dane Watkins of Idaho Falls.
Of that list, several names leap out at us, each with varying political spots on the spectrum of Republican positions, but who we believe could provide the quality leadership and intellectual power that has been a tradition of Idaho senators going back to William Borah. We like Dave Leroy, the cerebral former attorney general for the state, Lawrene Wasden, the current attorney general, and Sheila Sorenson, one of the legislative leaders. If we had to build a short list, those would be our names on it.
But Butch has a good eye for people. We're certain he'll make a good choice, based less on politics than the person who can best represent Idaho.
- -- Posted by senior lady on Sat, Sep 29, 2007, at 9:42 AM
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