Durbin's Curse

Here's a word of advice to state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who is traveling overseas with Dick Durbin:  Run away!

Durbin is having a hard time of it lately.

Late last year and to much (appropriate) howling, Durbin intervened for convicted former-Gov. George Ryan and asked President George W. Bush to commute his sentence.

What? 

Then Durbin, who had vowed no appointee of Rod Blagojevich's would get seated in the U.S. Senate, got rolled by Roland Burris.

Now Durbin is apparently grooming Giannoulias for Burris's seat.

"Durbin called Giannoulias a 'formidable' candidate for the Senate seat in 2010," Politico has reported.

Why? 

Because he's a hard worker with great fundraising potential.

Get it? He's rich! And he knows other rich people! 

He's also white, and though Burris isn't the right man for the job, it's hard to justify supporting a move that leaves the United States Senate without a single African American.

And while Durbin was an early supporter of Barack Obama -- and let's face it, that was hometown congeniality -- his losing streak dates back to his support (and Rahm Emanuel's) of Tammy Duckworth in the Democratic primary against Christine Cegelis (see Item 6) in the 2006 Sixth District congressional race. Duckworth squeaked out a win, only to lose the general election to Republican Peter Roskam.

Durbin even seems to have lost out on one of his babies in the stimulus bill: the FutureGen coal plant.

So when Durbin puts his arm around you, Alexi, think twice. You might want to hedge your bets.