Louisville Courier Journal Editorial: "... Like The Baseball Umpires Who Governed His Earlier Career, [Jim Bunning] Called Them The Way He Saw Them."

Bunning's exit

Bashing politicians simply for being politicians may be fashionable, but it isn't fair. Public service is hard and often thankless work, and any honest person who devotes three decades of his life to that calling deserves his constituents' thanks.

Jim Bunning is no exception. We have differed with Kentucky's junior senator frequently and sometimes heatedly over the years. But there can be no doubt that like the baseball umpires who governed his earlier career, he called them the way he saw them.

His decision to retire when his second Senate term expires at the end of 2010 was doubtless difficult for Mr. Bunning. He was a fierce competitor as a Hall of Fame pitcher, and he has exhibited the same qualities in politics.

There can be little question that his departure reflects his recognition that his colleague, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and other Republican leaders have succeeded in pushing him aside by drying up the flow of campaign contributions to him from usually reliable GOP sources. Sen. Bunning had made little effort to mask his anger over their efforts.

While political departures inevitably evoke regret in some quarters, however, they also present opportunities for better representation.

Without rehashing old battles, it's fair to say that Sen. Bunning's emphasis was on opposition, especially to almost any program and proposal that had a Democrat in its lineage. There is little important legislation that bears Sen. Bunning's imprint, and Mr. Bunning developed scant policy expertise. Combined with increasingly erratic behavior in recent years, his record had pushed his approval ratings to levels that made re-election next year unlikely.

That situation is transformed. An energetic Republican nominee with less ideological baggage — such as Secretary of State Trey Grayson — would be a much stronger candidate next year. The Democrats seem headed for a spirited primary between Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo. Whichever candidates emerge in the general election, Kentuckians can reasonably anticipate a constructive debate on the challenges facing the nation and state.

While giving Sen. Bunning his due for his service, the state should benefit from the changes on the political horizon.

Editor's comment: "But there can be no doubt that like the baseball umpires who governed his earlier career, he called them the way he saw them."

YEP, and that's an admirable trait.

Laugh at the cartoon below: