Off The Grid

Collins Watch will be on hiatus from late Wednesday through the end of June. So this may be the last post of the month. In July, things will pick up more or less where they've left off.

It's been an interesting ride so far, and the biggest questions about the 2008 race remain unanswered:

Will the junior senator try to lurch back toward the center once the campaign begins in earnest? Will Maine voters let her get away with it--will they hold her accountable for her actions and not just her words?

As Lucky sez, time will tell.

See you in July.

Gonzales Watch

How about that.

The junior senator flips, not only voting for cloture on the failed Gonzales no-confidence resolution, but also saying:

I think his continued tenure does not benefit the department or our country.

I'm ready to call that progress.

On the other hand, I can't find evidence anywhere--including on Collins' website--that she went a step further and actually called for the Attorney General to resign.

It would be the logical step to take--why not call for the resignation of an official who you think is harming the country by remaining in office?

But the Collins camp is nothing if careful. And they've proven to be adept at teasing the rhetoric apart from the reality in a whole host of areas.

Which is to say that when it comes to whether Collins went the full distance, did the right thing and called for Gonzales' resignation, I'll believe it when I see it.

Gonzales Watch

A highlight from today's Firedoglake chat with Rep. Allen:

Chris from Maine @ 36: The Senate will vote on a no confidence resolution for Attorney General Gonzales on Monday. If you were in the Senate Congressman Allen, how would you vote and do you think the Attorney General should resign?

[Allen:] I would vote for the no confidence resolution, and I will continue to urge the Attorney General to resign. This is not just any Executive Branch position. The Attorney General is responsible for the faithful execution of the laws and once chosen by the President, should conduct himself and his office to be above politics. Certainly, Janet Reno gave President Clinton fits at times. The apparent attempt to intimidate U. S. Attorneys from pursuing legal cases against Republicans is clear cause for removal of Gonzales.

Will Sen. Collins vote against allowing the Gonzales no-confidence resolution to come to the floor?

Will she try, in other words, to keep her tacit support for Gonzales off the Senate record? Or will she come clean? Stay tuned.

Allen Online

As Turn Maine Blue readers already know, Rep. Allen will be answering questions at Firedoglake on Saturday at 2pm.

Click here to join the conversation.

The Connecticut Factor

One of the interesting subplots to the 2008 Maine race will be the rhetorical--and actual--role of Sen. Joe Lieberman (CFL-CT).

When Sen. Collins camp loudly announced that Lieberman would co-host a fundraiser, she surely believed that the endorsement would be a net plus.

And yet Rep. Allen's camp seems just as sure that the Lieberman association can be used to its advantage.

It's a genuine clash of perspectives about the nature of the race, and it raises a number of interesting questions. Among them: How are Maine and Connecticut similar--and how are they different? How will the political climates of 2006 and 2008, relating to Iraq in particular, be similar--and how will they be different?

And how does the presence of a tested, popular challenger play into the mix?

Collins.com

Via Turn Maine Blue we learn that Lance Dutson of Maine Web Report has joined the Collins campaign as Director of Internet Strategy.

Good for him, and I hope it works out well for him. (Up to a point.)

But Dutson (who I've corresponded with via e-mail in the past) goes overboard when he writes:

Senator Collins has set a fine example over the last decade of how to maintain integrity in a world that has caused so many others to compromise their values.

Really?

To cite but one example of behavior that doesn't exactly ooze integrity: Collins' decision to seek a third term in the first place, after pledging in no uncertain terms not to. Unprincipled, dishonor, dishonesty--those are the words that pop into my mind. But integrity?

Dutson and the rest of the Collins camp are free to make whatever arguments they want in support of her re-election.

But my advice would be not to play the ethics card too early or too often.