Huh?

MANIFESTO

As the dust continues to settle in the aftermath of Chris Godd's decision not to run for re-election to the Senate, a weird situation has developed:

To most fair-minded people, or so we believe, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz seems to be qualified to hold the office she seeks this election year, that of attorney general of Connecticut.

Whether or not they'd vote for her is not the issue. This veteran Democratic officeholder is smart, well educated, has been a lawyer in good standing for more than 20 years, was in private practice for six years in Connecticut — and another two in New York — and has logged 16 years in public service as a state legislator and the state's chief election officer. Moreover, she meets the state constitution's criterion for running for attorney general — simply being an elector of the state.

Most people, we believe, would think any person possessing such qualities and such a resume would be qualified, barring other serious drawbacks, to run for and hold the office of attorney general.

But Ms. Bysiewicz's candidacy is threatened by a statutory requirement that many think she does not meet: one that demands that a candidate have been in the "active practice at the bar of this state" for at least 10 years.

This whole carousel started as the result of a blog post a few days ago and has agitated the state to a degree. It's certainly agitated Ms. Bysiewicz, as she's contacted the man she hopes to be her predecessor about the issue.

The whole thing is a bit bizarre.