Out here in the land where the Deer and the Antalope play many are very saddened that this office was offered and accepted. The thinking was that she would run for Sen. Sam Brownback's seat. He's not running for re-election to the Senate; he has his eye on the Governorship. As the 2010 Democratic candiate for the Seanate she'd have been a shoe-in. Now .. . it looks like it'll be another Republican and Brownback will take the Governor's office.
I've been keeping up with events in Tennessee and I know how screwed up things are. HOWEVER, you have no idea how screwed up they are here in Kansas. Be very thankful you're not here. The Dem's are a sizable minority (almost as many as there Repubs) but many a very conservative Dems so cross over happens alot (in General elections - we register by party here) so the Repubs do much better than they should. In addition, the Repubs are of two schools; Fiscal Conservative (country club repubs) and Social Conservatives (the batshit crazy moral majority type). Most Dem victories are achieved by 'marriages of conveinence' between one of the the two types of Repubs (usually, tho not always, the fiscal conservatives). Our recent state budget fights and the fight over two new coal-fired power plants are the most current examples (fights over the state school board - evolution vs creationism, are another running example.
Personally, I was hoping she either wouldn't be offered the positiion or would decline it, finish her term as gov and then run for and win the Senate seat insuring, possibly even greater, Dem control of the Senate.
Oh well ...

Take Care, Be Good and don't play in the street!

SteveMule