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Drooling on the Pillow

Friday, December 16, 2005

William Proxmire, RIP 


I'm roused from my current blogging torpor and distracted from my oh-so-busy day to note the passing of Senator William Proxmire.

He was an odd ball's odd ball, but he was also the perfect model of a public servant. He was one of the very few senators in my lifetime who had a crystal-clear understanding of the relationship between the governors and the governed and who worked for who.

The picture on the left edits out the images of Senators Kennedy and Smathers, also receiving the LBJ treatment. All of them except Proxmire are looking right at Johnson with expressions ranging from patient to horror-stricken. It was taken on August 29, 1957, the day that Proxmire joined the Senate, having replaced Joe McCarthy, whose keister-burns still fouled the Senate steps. The thought bubble over Proxmire's head reads "Kee-rist, what a jack-ass."

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