Heiress, Apparently

This will make a nice, neat sequence. As Hillary Clinton departs the Senate to take over the State Department, Gov. Paterson of New York will be easily persuaded by the high priests of the Democratic Party that Caroline Kennedy is the only logical choice to slide easily and seamlessly into Mrs. Clinton's Senate shoes.

As the New York Times points out, the Kennedy family's deep pockets put her in an excellent position to run against and easily beat the weird and personally creepy Rudy Giuliani in 2010.

Mr. Kennedy’s message, according to Democratic aides who were not authorized to discuss the conversations, is that Ms. Kennedy — backed by the Kennedy family’s extensive fund-raising network — would have the wherewithal to run back-to-back costly statewide races without having to seek help from Mr. Paterson or Mr. Schumer. The ability to raise significant money is a key concern for Mr. Paterson, who has been deluged from every direction by politicians interested in the seat, which the governor is expected to fill early next year. Whoever is chosen will have to run in 2010 and again two years later.

I have nothing against Caroline Kennedy, but I'm a little appalled when I reflect that high offices in this country are frequently treated as hereditary fiefs, and maintaining them largely dependent on the financial resources available to the designated heir. Put it this way: a familiar family name may qualify someone for a high office, and a huge bank account certainly enhances one's suitability to fill the position.

This is exactly, precisely the sort of circumstance our founders sought to avoid.

Thanks to the Crooks and Liars blog for the heads up, and see also, Al Giordano's blog, "The Field"