Markey Malarky

With the likelihood of John Kerry being nominated and confirmed as Secretary of State, Scott Brown is getting himself all in a tither for a second run at Senate. Is he coming out strong on jobs? Education? The economy? Why citizens of Massachusetts should send him back to DC?

Nope. He is SO tempted to run, because one possible candidate, Rep. Ed Markey, isn't REALLY a resident of the Commonwealth. Markey has represented his district since 1976, when Brown was still in high school. Rep. Markey owns a residence in Chevy Chase, MD as well as the family home in Malden, MA. And (gasp) his wife was a doctor at the NIH.

I'm guessing when your career means working in DC while representing your home state, that long commute thing gets a little old. Frankly, things worked better when Congressfolk and Senators had second residences where they worked...they spent more time with each other outside of the halls of Congress, a bygone era Ted Kennedy said he missed (in his memoir, True Compass).

Mr. Brown needs to check his hypocrisy meter as well. The man also owns a place in DC, is a member of the MD National Guard, and has a wife who is a part time reported there.

Markey is the senior member of the Massachusetts delegation. But Scott Brown has never seen him on his airplane rides back and forth, which equals evidence that he is NOT a resident.

“You’ve got to check the travel records. I’ve come back and forth (from Washington to Boston) every weekend, almost, for three years, and I see, you know, most of the delegation, and I have never seen Ed on the airplane - ever,” Brown added.

 Hey, Scott Brown. I made two trips to Boston last year. One from PDX in June, the other from Charlotte, NC, the Friday morning after the convention. Three guesses who I stood in line with on the jetway waiting to board my USAir nonstop?

If former Sen. Brown keeps going down this path, he'll end up a two time loser and his political career will be a footnote in the history books.