Senator Ted Kennedy (D. Mass.), who is suffering from terminal brain cancer, has asked that Massachusetts law be changed to enable the Governor to appoint a successor should he pass away. The state legislature (in theory expressing the will of the people rather than Mr. Kennedy) had amended the law in 2004 at his request to take that very same power away from the governor. See, at the time, Senator John Kerry (D. Mass.), serial inventor of war stories, was running for President. If he had won, then Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, would have been able to name Kerry's replacement. Old Teddy couldn't have that, so he urged the state legislature to change the law and provide for a special election, which they did. Now, Teddy is afraid he's going to have to answer to God for Chappaquiddick before the vote comes down on health care. If he does pass away, the special election might take too long for the Democrats to pass the bill because they would not have the 60 vote supermajority that could overcome a filibuster. So, Mr. Kennedy is again asking the legislature to change the law to protect a seat in the Senate. At least his bitter partisanship will never die.
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