Evan Bayh has been running for President since the day he got to town. Or was that the day his father brought him to town. To think that he got out for high-minded reasons is to think that Dick Cheney went to Iraq because of al-Qaeda. Congress is the sausage factory and if you don't like the smell of sausage, you should be somewhere else. Which brings us to Bayh's logical conclusion. Time to get out and make money. But Evan, don't peddle those 2016 nomination papers around here. Nobody will bet on a two-time quitter.
The Bayh notion of partisan rancor disturbing the comity of the body politic deserves exploration beyond his self-serving purpose. I can see David Byrne's hand talking to his big-suited self and repeating those immortal words, "Well, how did I get here?" If Governor Palin had written those words on her hand, she might have had me believing she was worth taking seriously. Now I'm just scared of her and waiting to see which one of us the men in the white coats take away first.
The animus of the endless nitpicking over legislative strategy and political intent can be summed up in three letters: CNN. The 24-hour news cycle, driven now by three giants of mind-numbing punditry, has replaced the media's mantra of bleeding and leading with something like "if it screws, it's news...especially in a government building." But truthfully, the 24/7 news cycle is so passe. We've got FOX on Facebook and Time on Twitter. We will permanently plaster you with political warfare until you beg for another season of Survivor.
Now having just spent two days in New York City, it sure feels like, before Evan Bayh's paint dries, Mike Bloomberg is taking a look at an independent run against the President. You would have thought he never asked for the 9/11 trial to begin with. The fact that Eric Holder's inept is no reason to take down a sitting president whose done more good in the Gulf than the Bushies did in eight years. But Mayor Mike is nothing if not the Emperor of all he sees and Washington isn't the only place you can find naked self-interest. Can you say South Carolina? Which reminds me...I did see Eliot Spitzer chowing down graciously at Michael's. The Spitzmeister is definitely contemplating more than a hooker's navel these days.
But I gotta get back to Bayh who I guarantee will be meeting with the Indiana Tea Party within a week or my name isn't Elmer Fudd (or is that Roger Mudd?). Evan Bayh got more column inches in the Washington Post in '06 about his presidential chances than anyone except Hillary. He was the first and only candidate to engage consultants on his behalf in pursuit of the Obama running mate slot. And he is the only candidate to announce he's not running for re-election who feels compelled to tell everyone why he's not running in a hundred words or more.
In truth, five words would have done it. He doesn't want to lose.
Larry,
Loved your Edwards lite post.
Bayh's withdrawal comments have set a new (low) standard for the definition of self-serving.
You're the first person I've seen who's written about this is a truthful way. The sanctimonious "news networks" have joined Bayh in deploring the "incivility" of Washington when, in fact, their insistence upon hourly conflict is at the core of the toxic atmosphere that has engulfed our politics.
Thanks for the read.
Nice piece but, for me, in the service of a not too important a matter.
A question: Why isn't Brooksley Born in the Obama Administration?
Elliott
Larry - I made the comment to Teri that I thought he was running for the White House because he considers himself from the "mainstream"! Hah!
Every US Senator and former Semator is a President in waiting. The fact that Senator Bayh read a carefully worded prepared statement in a structured annoucement instead of doing a Howard Beale lite tells us that Mr. Goodman is probably right and that Senator Bayh is positioning himself in case the opportunity presents itself.