Senator Dukakis?

I just read in my Gainesville Sun newspaper this morning that the Massachusetts state legislature has approved a measure granting authority for the governor to appoint an interim senator to replace the late Edward Kennedy until elections are held a few months from now.

Democratic Governor Deval Patrick is reportedly considering, among others, former governor, 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, and all-around good guy Michael Dukakis as one of the choices to fill this seat. Although I'm sure that there are plenty of good candidates for the temporary post, I think Dukakis would be a very welcome presence in the United States Senate. Whoever does get appointed, though, shouldn't be among any of the politicians expressing interest in running in the upcoming senate election. Although those might all be great senators, a distinguished interim senator like Dukakis with no further designs on the seat will keep an appointee from running with the advantage of incumbency, even if that is only for a few weeks.

I have always felt that Michael Dukakis would have made a wonderful president. During my long run (since 1976) of voting in presidential elections, I felt the most strongly in favor of Governor Dukakis over anyone else I supported in an election, before or since. But, alas, he was the first Democratic presidential nominee to run into a very slick, heavily financed, and brutal Republican campaign attack machine. Why, had he been elected, everyone would have dirty water and convicted murderers across the country would be furloughed en masse to kill everyone. And for those of you who survived? Well, you'd have to burn your American flags! What was so dismaying to me in 1988 (and in subsequent elections with their own mudslinging themes) was that millions of American voters actually bought into the crap being spewed out over the air about Willy Horton, Boston's water, and flag burning. Oh, and don't forget that Dukakis was a card-carrying member of the ACLU. That made him a communist, right?

As I have said, there are plenty of suitable possibilities for this interim post. The newspaper article mentioned three: Paul Kirk (a former Kennedy aide and DNC chairman), Evelyn Murphy (a former lt. governor), and Charles Ogletree (a Harvard law professor).

Onward to a full Senate body!

[Let's see if I can't get this published before the actual appointment is announced.]