If you're not good enough to be a judge ...

... then being named Attorney General is a nice consolation prize.

Scott Nordstrand, you may recall, was the spark for one of Gov. Dorkowski's earlier ham-fisted, croneyist power grabs. Mssr. Nordstrand, a longtime Murkowski loyalist, put in for a judgeship, but didn't make the Judicial Council's list of "qualified applicants." Gov. Dorkowski was outraged. "What is this BS about 'qualifications?' Don't they understand that government exists to reward the connected??!!" (The thoughts coursing through the alcohol-smoothed contours of Gov. Dorkowski's brain were probably less coherent, but you get the idea). This was a matter of Principle - and not just any Principle, but THE Principle: I get to give good stuff to my buddies. Gov. Dorkowski would stand stout and firm.

Unfortunately, Gov. Dorkowski didn't have a leg to stand on, as the constitutional appointment scheme was specifically designed to prevent croneyist hacks from completely undermining the justice system.

But now there's a consolation prize, and he doesn't even have to get it past his co-religionists in the legislature. A balm it must have been to his little heart to have this little gift to give his faithful servant ....

Now, all this having been said, I'm sure that Mr. Nordstrand will do just fine. He's a decent big-picture guy, has actually been a practicing lawyer (and thus understands little niceties like "ethics"), will have taken note of what happened with Renkes and Ruedrich, and is certainly likeable enough - plus, he's a Packer fan. Certainly there are more qualified people out there, but if Gov. Dorkowski has succeeded in anything, it's in lowering our standards. From this group, "not crooked, arrogant and incompetent" will do just fine.