DAY’S END ROUNDUP

The names floated to fill Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) seat sound a little too dynastic for some bloggers. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and conservative bloggers try to dissaude Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) from running for Senate. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nevada) remarks about the new Capitol Visitor Center serve as more fodder for his critics online.

It’s a little ridiculous that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of a senator and niece of a president, could fill Clinton’s seat, writes The Stump’s Eve Fairbanks, who points out that other families should get a chance to serve as Northeastern senators, too. It’s also a good thing that Bill Clinton squashed rumors that he could succeed his wife, since he’d be bored in the Capitol and would bring a much broader expertise to the job than necessary, writes MyDD’s Josh Orton.

Murkowski suggested that Palin back off from any challenge to her in 2010, noting that a short stop in the Senate wouldn’t help her presidential chances in 2012. If Palin is serious about running against President-elect Barack Obama, she should forget about a tough Senate campaign that would end just before the GOP nomination race would begin, writes Hot Air’s Allahpundit. Governors, after all, have traditionally had more success in presidential races than senators, notes RedState’s Josh Painter.

Reid again demonstrated his terrible political instinct by saying that the new tourist center will help keep the smell of sweaty tourists out of the Capitol, notes Allahpundit. Reid showed that he isn’t much for government of the people, by the people and for the people, writes one of Michelle Malkin‘s readers. It’s not so classy for Reid to highlight the new center’s odor-reducing quality when the center cost more and took longer to build than was expected, writes PoliPundit’s Michael Sparxxx.

FROM THE BLOGS:
This Is Getting Ridiculous – Eve Fairbanks, The Stump
Ridiculous Rumor Confirmed False – Josh Orton, MyDD
All-In-The-Family Politics – Robert Stein, Connecting.the.Dots
Palin to the Senate? – John McCormack, The Weekly Standard
Murkowski Warns Palin – Allahpundit, Hot Air
Palin’s Path Is Not Through Senate – Josh Painter, RedState
Reid: I Won’t Have to Smell Tourists – Allahpundit, Hot Air
D.C. Tourist to Reid: You Reek – Michelle Malkin
Visitor Center Opens – Michael Sparxxx, PoliPundit

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Richardson to Head Commerce – The Hill
Ford Asks for $9 Billion Line of Credit – Associated Press
Obama Promises Quick Relief for Governors – New York Times