A bit of truly old world politics today. Strom Thurmond, the almost totally senile 98 year old senator from South Carolina is poised to nominate his son to the post of US Attorney for the state. It is a general practice that a senator of the same party as the president can nominate people and they will be approved with a rubber stamp.

All seems kosher right? Strom's son is 28. I'll type it again: 28. No typo. (I'll do it for you, Strom was 70 when his oldest son from that marriage was born.) He graduated from law school in '95. Has spent "some time" in private practice and for the last two years has been a prosecutor in Aiken County solicitor's office. Basically he's tried 6 cases in two years (won five of them), and did nothing appreciable in his "time" in private practice upon graduating from law school. Why am I wondering about his qualifications for the job of managing a statewide office of 50 lawyers? Why do I think he'll run for office in 3 years when his papa steps down from office?

Being from Massachusetts I'm familiar with nepotism in politics. It's just that I have trouble seeing how people in SC aren't a little put off by this. Hey, I'm 24 and a paralegal, can I be a Circuit Court Judge?
- posted by levinson @ 1/05/2001 08:05:00 AM