Tick Tock for Bysiewicz

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will respond at 1 p.m. to Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz’s ill-advised request for an opinion on the validity of qualifications set forth in state statutes for those who would be attorney general.  Bysiewicz, who’s made a hash of her candidacy for attorney generalin less than a month, should, we hear, brace for some bad news.  Blumenthal is expected to say that the statutory requirement of 10 years of active practice is constitutional.  ”Active practice” likely means more than being a member of the bar.

This will be a “holed below the waterline” day in state politics for at least one candidate, whatever Blumenthal says.  An opinion that calls into question Bysicewicz’s qualification will energize the other Democrats seeking the nomination.  A conclusion that her experience as secretary of the state, difficult as she has made it to assess, has been in the “active practice” of law will allow her to resume her campaign for Blumenthal’s job.

UPDATE: Take those wiggle words out of the preceding two paragraphs.  Blumenthal will deal a crushing blow to Bysiewicz’s campaign.  This will come as a relief to the career lawyers in the A.G.’s office.  They have not been joyful at the prospect of Bysiewicz replacing Blumenthal.  Some of them may even have assisted in writing Blumenthal’s response to Bysiewicz’s request for an opinion.