Oh no! Another Senate appointment?

President-elect Obama has selected Senator Ken Salazar, Democrat of Colorado, to be secretary of the interior.

Despite the huge controversy regarding the process of filling Obama's own Senate seat in Illinois, and the lesser controversies surrounding members of famous families who are potentially in line to become senators, now or at a future special election, in Delaware and New York, Obama is willing to create another Senate vacancy, this time in Colorado.

Governor Bill Ritter, a Democrat, will appoint Salazar's successor, assuming the Senate confirms his nomination to the interior job. The interim appointment will be effective until the regular election for that seat, in 2010.

Chris Cillizza, in The Fix blog on the Washington Post website, handicaps the field.

Speculation about Salazar's brother John, a congressman, has added fuel to the fire, for those commentators discussing the degree to which family connections have come into play in filling these Senate vacancies.

It stands to reason that Obama's Senate colleagues would be uppermost in his mind, when considering appointments. In a similar manner, George W. Bush chose a few fellow governors for top jobs.

Cillizza mentions that the Colorado situation could make it difficult for the Democrats to hold on to that Senate seat. And I think he underestimates the possibility of trouble for the Democrats in other states. The Illinois situation could create a backlash in favor of Republicans, especially if a quick special election is held. And that blast from the past, Rudy Giuliani, is said to be considering a Senate run in New York.