58.

Done. Where's Al?

Let's see…

…it's Friday. Blago's impeached. Burris is still sidelined, with new clouds gathering over his head.

And Harry Reid is still the Leader of the largest Senate majority by either party since, well, I haven't actually looked it up, but it's been a while.

Jane Hamsher may be a heck of a poker player, but I'm thinking Harry might push her all over a chess board.

OK, I looked it up.

The last time a political party seated 57 Senators it was the 103rd Congress ('93-95). When the full complement of 59 Senators is seated (soon and very soon, I trust), it will be the largest majority since the Democrats held 61 seats during the 95th Congress ('77-'79).
Seems like a stretch to damn the current leadership as completely incompetent.

There's stuff I know...

...and stuff I know I don't know. Among the latter is the strength of the case that Harry Reid and the Sentate Democrats have in their effort to reject Blago's nominee for the U.S. Senate. Actually, until the case has been adjudicated, no one really knows how strong it may be. There seem to be credible, knowledgable folks on both sides. That being the case, as a partisan Democrat I'm inclined to accept the arguments put forward by the voices raised in support of the Senate Democrats.

I confess to some dismay at the number of "progressives" who are using this appointment as an opportunity to vent their frustrations with Senator Reid's performance as the leader of a razor thin and often divided majority throught uncritical acceptance of any argument that would undermine and embarrass the elected (and a lock, apparently, to become the re-elected) leader of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate.

If hoping for a procedural defeat for the Democratic caucus simply to diminish the stature and effectiveness of the Majority Leader is "progressive," that's a prefix I can do without.