Markey-d man

Ed Markey must be feeling pretty good this morning. Flood-the-zone coverage in the Herald about his interest in the 2013 Senate special election is like a delayed Christmas present.

In addition to the mandatory Howie Carr bile, and handicapping five "dark horses," the Herald sends out their "truth squad" to sample Republican consultant opinion about the congressional delegation's senior Democrat's declaration of interest in the seat that will likely open when John Kerry becomes Secretary of State.

As the unofficial cheerleaders of the Scott Brown campaign, it's clear the Herald brass see Markey as the biggest threat in the absence of a run by Victoria Kennedy.

While the Globe offered front page coverage, the story was in keeping with the holiday doldrums. In fact it is somewhat odd that Markey chose this week. True there is very little else happening, but attention to news is likely to return only after a few choruses of Auld Lang Syne.

Markey may have been staking out his turf against fellow House members Mike Capuano and Steve Lynch, but I would venture most Massachusetts residents are dreading the return of yet another Senate campaign, the third in four years. One that will be followed by yet another one in 2014.

But you know the old saying: the only sure things in life are death, taxes and Massachusetts Senate races.