Late last night, it was confirmed Caroline Kennedy is no longer seeking to be Hillary Clinton's replacement in the U.S. Senate, now that Hillz is Secretary of State. Kennedy had formally asked New York Gov. David Paterson to consider her for the appointment, which would have given Sweet Caroline nearly a full term in the Senate seemingly for no other reason than because she asked nicely and was such a very good girl raising all that money for Obama.
Kennedy's one-line statement cited the infamous "personal reasons," which could mean anything from "things aren't looking good for Uncle Teddy" to "oh noes my 16-year-old is knocked up and engaged to the son of an Oxy dealer," though one suspects it's more the former than the latter.
* PREVIOUSLY, in the City Paper:
Working Through my Caroline Issues
by Amy Z. Quinn
Maybe it's just the season, but every time I think
about Caroline Kennedy seeking the Senate seat from New York, I get
this picture in my mind of New York Gov. David Paterson as Santa Claus,
handing out a powerful office as a political reward like a Lexus with a
super-size red bow. Kennedy gets the seat because she's just been such
a good girl this year. A lovely holiday tale, to be sure.
It's not that I have anything against Kennedy — if anything, she's been the most consistently non embarrassing member of that whole clan. And it's not as if I'm so naïve that I think money doesn't buy political power, or that it's unheard of to reward someone for party loyalty with a plum appointment.
So why do I begrudge her this Senate seat?
