A tale of two vacant senate seats

Illinois has a vacant Senate seat and New York is about to have one.

The Governor of Illinois apparently attempted to sell that state's vacant seat for money. The Governor of New York apparently is considering awarding that state's vacant seat to Caroline Kennedy.

Offering a senate seat to the highest bidder is wrong, by any measure.

Offering a senate seat to someone whose principal qualification is that she was the daughter of a beloved slain president, many people seem to feel, is to be applauded.

The principal difference between the two scenarios is that in the Illinois scenario, two people would benefit from the appointment -- the governor and the appointee; in the New York scenario, only one would benefit -- the appointee.

The appointment in the Illinois scenario would be justified by lies. The appointment in the New York scenario would be justified by lies.

Both scenarios are wrong, by any measure.

Only dewey-eyed ideologues, longing for the return of "Camelot" (fittingly named after a third-rate musical about a kingdom that never existed), would think the New York scenario is acceptable.